Outcast from Birth
by Bambi-littledeer07
Summary: 3 generations after Kovu and Kiara, a cub is born different from everyone, how will this affect her? Will she be accepted, and if so, is it for real? There's only one way to find out, read! And please review. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_"Dere are many tales dat ave' been told by many creatures, little ones. But dis one, dis one is unique. Dis one is not like many you may ave' heard. Dis one is about a young cub, much like yourselves, who grows up to be a mighty young lioness." _

"_But Ashka, it's exactly like ones we've heard, only with a lioness instead of a lion." Young Tiburi complained to the baboon. His friends all nodded in agreement. _

_The baboon laughed. "So it seems little Tiburi, but listen to da story, it is not like all the oders I ave' told you. It is different. For dis story, is not about an ordinary lioness, dis story is about a lioness born different from everyone else." This made the cubs' ears perk up in interest, as the baboon had known they would. "Dis lioness was an outcast from de minute she was born."_

Chapter 1

In a small cave off the side of Pride rock, a young lioness twisted and turned, growling to herself as her discomfort grew. Nothing she did could ease it either, and with every passing moment, it grew, until finally it was a pain, a gnawing, wrenching pain that came in intervals. Her claws raked the rocky floor that she lay on, as she bit her tongue and cursed herself. Why had she even fallen for that stupid rogue?

Because he'd been a smooth-talker, that's why. And just like that, their courtship had been over and he'd moved on. She roared in agony and despair. She was too young for this, she hadn't even been accepted into the hunting party! It had been her goal that spring, to get into the hunting party.

She'd practiced long hours, perfecting her technique, even working with her friends to better improve her game. And then she'd met him on one of her hunts. If only that hadn't of happened, she wouldn't be here, in this predicament, and she would probably be in the hunting party. She raked her claws down the rock again, growling.

Tears stained her cheeks as she felt her body begin to instinctively react to what was happening. The pain was near unbearable, and every moment she cursed herself, but then paused to think. Her cub would not be a mighty royal, but perhaps it would become betrothed to one of the royalties. She would love that. Focusing on that thought, and that thought alone, she gave the final push that would bring the cub out of the womb and into the world.

Sanura rested for a moment, then twisted her body to see the new life. She broke the sac that bound the cub and then cleaned the blood and remnants off of it. She tore the umbilical chord and then looked down at the young cub. She near recoiled, her stomach flipping over in pure shock. The cub did not look like her or her 'mate' at all. Instead the cub was pure white, no other color covered it's body. And it was clear, from that first glance, that it would never, ever be betrothed to a royal…

_"Sharra?" The cubs yelled in unison. Ashka laughed and shook his head._

"_Yes, it was Sharra." The cubs all exchanged glances. How could it be her? They knew it was, but at the same time, it seemed odd. Immediately they started talking. "Shh, everyone, if you want to know what appens' next, you must listen!"_

"Sanura," the lioness jumped at the sound of a voice behind her, she slowly turned her head to look upon the King. Immediately she bowed her head, it was the only way she could show respect at that moment, seeing as she was too tired to rise and bow properly. "How did the birth go?" King Ryasen asked. He had yet to look at the cub.

The lioness sighed. "It was hard, and painful.." she replied. Ryasen shook his head and walked a few steps closer, enough to peer over her back and see the small cub nursing peacefully, yet somewhat noisily. She watched his face, searching it, at first his brows wrinkled together, but then his face split into a soft smile.

"She is very pretty." He said, his voice was careful though, giving the hint that he wasn't sure about the color. Sanura internally growled.

"She's white," Sanura near snapped.

"Yes, she is, but that shouldn't stop her from enjoying her cub hood." With that, the King turned and retreated, off to tend to his own cubs.

Sanura turned back to her cub. Her nose crinkled at the sight of it. "A white cub, how the heck did you even get that way?" she pondered. It made no sense to her, she was not white, and had no white ancestors that she knew of. She was a dark tan, almost gold-brown color. The cub's father had been a dark tan, with a light brown mane. It seemed so odd that this cub would be white.

"Is it safe?" An old voice ventured. Sanura's ears tipped forward to catch the sound. It was Ashka, the old shaman baboon who had taken over for Rafiki when he had passed on. Sanura nodded and the baboon entered the cave.

"Ah, a little girl cub," Ashka said, smiling. Sanura near rolled her eyes. What did it matter, she was white. "What's da matter, young Sanura?" Ashka asked, instantly sensing the lionesses hostility.

"She's white, and she'll never amount to anything." Sanura replied. She had disgraced herself and her 'mate' by having the cub. She'd lost all her dreams and goals when it had been conceived, and the one thought she'd had when it came out had been vanquished when the cub turned out white.

"Oh, now is dat any way to talk of your own kin?" Ashka asked.

"She ruined everything." Ashka shook his head.

"Give it time chil', she'll win your heart, you can't not be her mother." Ashka spread some melon over the cubs forehead, and smiled when it stood out against the whiteness of her pelt. "You will see," he said, and then retreated, off to 'baptize' the other cubs that had been born that day.

_"Dat year dere were many cubs born. King Ryasen and Queen Torianna had two heirs of deir own, Sumayah and Katu, den dere was Mako, de son of de Queen's best friend, and Misha, Natari, Junga, and Ukando." Ashka explained. _

"_You forgot Sharra," Tiburi chimed in. Ashka shook his head._

"_No, I figured you would fill her in automatically." He replied, chuckling. "Later that day, Sharra and her mother returned to the den in Pride rock, where all the other cubs were…"_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/n: Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter,and sorry for no explanations. This is a story about my personal favorite character, Sharra. All the characters are copyright to me, I won't copyright the names however, just the characters themselves. If you wish to see any of the characters, they will be uploaded shortly to http/fanart. within the next month or so. Enjoy!_

Chapter 2

"Momma! Momma!" Sharra near yelled, shaking her mother by pushing her shoulder. "Momma, come on, wake up!" Sanura moaned. "Momma!"

Sanura didn't want to get up, she didn't want Sharra pushing on her, and she didn't want the cub around her at all. Her social status had declined majorly since having the cub. The cub hadn't been around the others that much, but then again, the cubs were still fairly young, and hadn't been moving around all that much anyway.

"Momma!" finally it cut through.

"What?" Sanura growled, opening her eyes and looking at her daughter. Sharra's face was pleading and she looked genuinely excited.

"Today's the day, remember? We get to see the Pride lands!" Her voice squeaked in excitement and Sanura winced. Now she remembered. "You promised to take me, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go find someone else." she murmured, rolling back over.

"But Momma," she started.

"I said go!" Sanura snapped.

Sharra's ears drooped and she slowly retreated. Her whole demeanor was depleted and she had no where near the excitement she had started with. She looked around, hoping to see someone she could go with to see.

The King was taking his two cubs toward the entrance of the den, she started after them, not realizing she wasn't supposed to. Sumayah, the princess saw her and rolled her eyes.

"Daddy, the white one is coming this way," she whined. But before her dad could do anything, Queen Torianna had blocked Sharra's path. The trio continued, satisfied that the Queen would take care of it.

"Sorry, royals only." The Queen growled. Sharra looked up and saw the nasty expression on her face and once again, her ears drooped. She turned and walked off.

This time she saw the gathering of the rest of the cubs following Itana, Mako's mother toward the end of pride rock. She bounded over, or tried to anyway. Seeing as she was still a cub though, she stumbled more than bounded. By the time she reached them, they were already leaving. She calmly walked over to the edge and peered over.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. It was amazing. The whole pride lands spread out before her in a poetic display of colors and shapes and shadows. The sun was just now rising, casting an orange glow to everything it touched. It highlighted the savannah and the watering hole, the different herds that dotted the plains, and even the shadowy place that had once been the evil King, Scar's lair.

She was near breathless with admiration. She smiled and then turned and walked as fast as she could, heading for the 'steps' that led down off of Pride rock. Sharra retreated down them slowly, trying her best not to fall. It would not be a good thing, she had decided.

Upon reaching the bottom, she started forward again, seeing the group not too far ahead of her. Since she didn't feel like running again, she followed along behind where she was. She could still hear Itana, and she could see everything as well.

"Now, as you can all see, there is a path here, this leads to the watering hole. It is a place of wonder, surprise and often, refreshment." She paused to look back over her shoulder, making sure all the cubs were with her. Her nose wrinkled a bit at the sight of Sharra, but she didn't say anything, instead continued with her speech. "All the animals go there to drink and cool off. But you must never go without an adult little ones, or at least without someone. It is a place of danger as well. Seeing as everyone comes here to get a drink, that means predators as well, and crocodiles reside here. If they catch you off guard you'll be a nice snack before dinnertime for them." two of the cubs gasped, and two laughed, acting as though fear were funny.

Sharra made a mental note to find out what a crocodile was. Whatever it was, she was going to make sure to steer clear of it. They reached the watering hole and Itana allowed the cubs to explore a little, warning them once more to be on guard and watch their surroundings. Sharra walked up to the water and sniffed it, then cocked her head at her reflection. "What's that?" She asked no one in particular.

Itana walked over and stood behind her. "That, little white thing, is your reflection."

"My reflection?" Sharra echoed.

"Yes, it shows what you look like. That's you." Itana said, growling softly, as though Sharra were the most idiotic being she'd ever had to talk to.

Sharra watched as the lioness walked off, and then looked back down at the water. Her pelt was pure white, almost blinding in some ways. There was a tuft of hair that was just starting to cover one of her amber-honey colored eyes. Her nose was a light grey color and her muzzle and belly were a nice creamy color. Sighing, she stood and walked off. The other cubs were all together, playing in the shallow water.

Itana stood on a large rock overhang, watching the cubs and the water. Her trained eyes scanned everything, watching for any predator that lurked in the area. After a moment or two, she made a low call to the cubs, it was time to leave and move on.

Reluctantly the cubs came out of the water and started following Itana. Sharra stayed behind, taking a sip from the water. She waited until she was the same distance behind them as she was when they started out and then followed.

The lioness started talking again, telling them where they were headed now. "Just past the watering hole a ways is the hunting grounds, or the savannah. It is filled with herds of every shape and size. From stocky, plump Zebra, to small, zesty gazelle." The cubs laughed as Itana licked her lips. She smiled too and then stopped, letting them see. Sharra looked ahead, the different herds were scattered out, taking up a huge area. They grazed peacefully, taking no notice of the lioness and cubs.

"Wow," Sharra uttered. Once more, she found this place amazing.

"Come along now, it's time to head back." Itana chirped, her tone sharp. The cubs around her whined and complained, not wanting to leave just yet. "Now," she growled. The cubs followed her, but they made it very clear to Itana that they weren't happy.

Sharra took one last glance at the herds before following after Itana and the rest of the cubs.

Sanura watched with jealousy as the hunting party left the caves. A soft growl emitted from her throat. She could no longer join the party, not until Sharra was grown anyway. It was a rule, if you had a cub, you were not going on any hunts until it was grown and able to care for itself. The only lioness that was the exception was the Queen. Sanura's head hung. Once more she cursed herself for having the cub. She cursed herself for being with the rogue as well.

She walked out to the edge of pride rock and stood there, watching the hunting party leave. She then sat and waited, knowing Sharra would return soon. Sanura had paid as little attention to the cub as much as she possibly could. She had no bond with Sharra, and no problem whatsoever with pretending the cub wasn't hers. Ashka had said she couldn't not be her mother, and that much was true. She had been somewhat of a mother to the cub. Enough so that the cub survived. But Sharra had not won her heart by any means. To Sanura, Sharra's white pelt meant that she was a nobody, destined to be nothing but an outcast.

After some time, Sanura looked down and saw Itana returning with the cubs, including Sharra. The King had already returned with his two some time ago and they lay in the den, play-fighting. Sanura sighed and rose slowly, walking over to the start of the 'steps'. Itana and the cubs passed her, and shortly after, Sharra came up the steps.

She smiled at her mother, her eyes glittering in excitement. "Momma!" She yelled, running over and nuzzling Sanura.

Growling, Sanura backed away, nearly causing Sharra to fall. "Come on, the huntresses will be back soon, and you're filthy." She said, picking Sharra up and carrying her back into the den. She lay down and then set Sharra between her paws, and proceeded to give her cub a bath.

"Oh Mom, it's so amazing out there!" Sharra started. "I was speechless!"

"Sharra, I've seen the pride lands, I don't need a picture told by you." Sanura snapped, licked the back of Sharra's head.

Sharra's ears dropped and she resigned, "Yes Momma," she murmured. Her mother had a knack for doing that, but then again, so did everyone else. It was ok for them to be excited, but she was shunned and ignored every time she found something exciting.

"_It was a vicious world, as she came to find out." Ashka said, looking at all the stunned faces around him. "Nothing Sharra could do or say was appreciated, she was an outcast, shunned because of her color, something she could not control, no matter how much she tried." Ashka explained with a heavy sigh. He chuckled, thinking. "And try she did."_

"_What do you mean?" Tiburi inquired._

"_Oh, Sharra thought that if she covered her pelt with mud or clay or anything that would make it appear normal, they would accept her. But her mother only cleaned it off and scorned her more for it. She had a hard cub hood little ones. The only good time she had was probably when the other cubs did accept her. And that was only for one reason…" _


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: _I present to you, chapter 3, enjoy!_

Chapter 3

The heat of the sun made it hard for the pride to do anything but lay around. Of course, cubs, being that they were cubs, could not just lay around. To solve this, one of the lionesses of the pride were put in charge of cub-sitting and took them to the watering hole. As always, Sharra followed along a ways behind them all. By now they were all familiar with each other, and all seven of the other cubs had banded together. They each had a little bit of a clique.

Princess Sumayah and Misha were best friends, with Sumayah crushing heavy on Mako. Prince Katu formed a group with Mako, Natari, Junga, and Ukando. Misha and Natari were destined to be mates, always together, stars in their eyes. Sharra often felt left out, but had gotten used to the feeling for the most part. That day, she went with them just because it was hot and a refreshing dip in the cool water sounded wonderful.

As always, the group of cubs found their own spot, leaving Sharra on her own. She watched at the chaperone went to lay on the same rock that Itana had stood guard on. Sharra walked onto on of the smaller rocks and peered into the water, watching her reflection stare back at her. She let out a sigh and then walked into the water, wading in up to her neck and then turned and walking back to the shallow end. Something didn't feel right.

A chill ran up the cubs spine and a feeling in her gut told her that the water was not safe. She climbed back up onto the small rock she'd started on and watched the water intently. Nothing. She looked over at the other cubs, splashing and playing without a care in the world. Maybe she was just being silly.

"Hey, _Sharra_," called the unmistakable voice of the Princess behind her. She bit her lip as Sumayah put emphasis on her name. Turning slowly, she faced her foe. "What's wrong, are you scared of getting a little wet?" Sumayah taunted. Her gold-tan coat blended perfectly with the parched grass. Her eyes were a piercing dark brown, set off by her light tan muzzle and underbelly. A thin tuft of hair fell over her face, just barely covering part of her right eye.

After a moment or two, Sharra finally replied, "I am wet, but I think something is in the water."

Sumayah laughed, "Of course there is, dummy, there are cubs." Sharra rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean something dangerous!" Once more Sumayah laughed, that rich mocking laugh that made Sharra feel like she were something too funny for words.

"Oooh, something dangerous, wow, we better be careful." the Princess mocked, laughing again.

All of the sudden, out of nowhere came a yelp, shortly followed by the echoing screams of the cubs. Sharra and Sumayah jerked their heads in that direction.

Just as Sharra had suspected, there had been something in the water. Two massive crocodiles were opening their jaws, snapping them shut just short of one of the cubs. Without thinking, Sharra ran over to that area, pouncing into the water. Junga, Ukando, Katu and Misha had all gotten out of the water, but Mako was still in it, near drowning from the waves caused by the crocodiles' thrashing.

As Mako surfaced he screeched for help. "Mako!" Sumayah screamed. She looked around, desperately trying to find the chaperone. But the lioness had disappeared, she was nowhere in sight, the cubs were on their own.

"Help!" Mako shouted again. A wave pushed him under and Sharra went under too, she opened her eyes and dove for the crocodiles stomach. She raked her claws across the croc's belly and then recoiled as fast she could, narrowly missing getting her tail ripped by the crocs teeth. Upon seeing her, the crocodile's eyes narrowed and it sped in her direction. She swam upward, then over, latching onto the crocs head as it surfaced. The croc sped by Mako and Sharra grabbed him, just before the other could.

The croc went under again, and began to spin. Sharra let go and pulled Mako, swimming desperately toward the surface. Mako started to lag, not having the energy to swim. Sharra went back, grabbing him and pushing him ahead of her. When the crocs came after her, she widened her back legs and praying, she held her claws out, waiting. When they opened their mouths, anticipating, she kicked her legs against their noses, giving herself the extra boost she needed.

The two surfaced near the shore and quickly the other cubs ran out and helped pull them ashore. But they weren't out of the danger yet. After a moment or two the crocs surfaced and slowly started to come out of the water. In unison, the cubs shouted, "HELP!" while backing up rapidly.

Sharra grabbed the now unconscious Mako and dragged him, although it was harder now that he was on land and not in the water. She was getting nowhere, and finally she jumped in front of him, growling at the crocs even though she was scared stiff. The crocs came closer and Sharra began to shake. She swatted at them, but they didn't back off. "Get away!" She roared, sounding more like a squeak.

"_So what happened?" Tiburi blurted as Ashka paused, deepening the suspense. The baboon shook his head._

"_Patience Tiburi, patience. I need to recall for a moment." Ashka said, sighing at the little cub._

Just as Sharra thought they were going to be goners, a deafening roar sounded. From out of nowhere flew Itana and the King and Queen. Itana smacked the nearest croc so hard it went sideways a foot or so. "Get out of here!" she roared, demanding their departure. The King had already tore into the other crocodile, forcing him to retreat back into the water. After a moment or so, both crocs had left and the cubs stood there, shaking and numb.

King Ryasen turned and walked back to the shore, bleeding some from his encounter. He looked at all the cubs. Itana was licking Mako, trying to get him to come too. "Where's Tiaka?" Ryasen's voice boomed.

Queen Torianna, who had disappeared to investigate the area, returned now. "By the smells around the bluff, she took off with a rogue." the King growled deeply. She would be back later that night, he knew, and she would be punished.

"Let's go home, the cubs have had enough excitement for one day." He walked over and picked up Katu, while Torianna picked up Sumayah. Itana took the still unconscious Mako, and Sanura walked over to Sharra.

"Come on," She said. But Sharra was frozen. She couldn't move. Sanura rolled her eyes and finally picked her daughter up. Soon all the cubs were being carried back to the den.

Once in the safety of Pride rock, each cub was cuddled and comforted. All except Sharra, who lay in awe by her mother's stomach. She couldn't believe what she had done. She had no doubt saved Mako's life, but in the process had risked her own. But none of the cubs had mentioned it, perhaps they were too scared. Or perhaps the adrenaline from their fear had made it hard for them to realize anything that was happening other than that they were in danger.

Whatever it was, Sharra felt the familiar feeling of depression welling up inside her. But this time, it was different. She wasn't just being ignored or shunned because she was excited over something. She had saved a life, and hadn't gotten a single thank you. Sharra didn't eat that night, just lay there, pondering.

"_Wow, she really saved Mako's life?" Tiburi asked. He was so inquisitive, much more so than the other cubs. "Even though they all seemed to hate her?"_

"_Yes, amazing isn't it? She didn't hesitate either, Sharra has a very loyal nature, and even though those cubs never included her, she wasn't about to stand back and watch one die." Ashka said, smiling._

"_But why wouldn't he say thank you? I mean, if it weren't for her, he wouldn't be there!" Tiburi asked again, frowning._

"_Just listen to the story Tiburi, enough with all these questions." _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

About an hour before the sun was due to rise, Sharra awoke and quietly crept outside. She walked to the edge of Pride rock and stared out over the Pride lands. It was amazing to her. Everything was so in tune, so harmonious, it was as though nothing abnormal had ever happened the day before. She watched, letting out a small sigh.

The animals in the savannah had yet to wake up, but their downed bodies lay in large masses across the area. At first glance in the darkness it seemed as though they were but one being.

"What're you doing?" Sharra jumped at the voice from behind her and nearly slipped off the edge. She whirled, not caring who it was she was going to yell at.

"You almost made me fall o-" she paused mid-sentence, and quickly bit her tongue. It was Mako. Instinct made her want to turn away, but curiosity kept her turned toward him.

"Um, look, I was just, uh.." he paused, completely ignoring the fact that she hadn't answered his previous question. "I wanted to say thanks, I mean for yesterday, you know?" Mako said, shifting his eyes every so often, then bringing them back up to meet hers.

Sharra sat in shock for a few seconds, not quite registering what he was saying. "Oh, well, you're welcome!" she said, her face splitting into a smile. Mako returned hers with one of his own.

"So, uh, me and the gang are going down to the acacia's later, would you like to come?" He offered.

Sharra forced herself to close her mouth, while she tried not to tackle him in pure excitement. "I'd love too!" she tried not to shout.

The acacias were a group of trees in the grove where the cubs had been taken to hang out. There were fallen limbs they could climb on and all sorts of fun places to play in and on.

"_Oh the Acacia's are awesome!" Tiburi burst out at the mention of them. "Member' that one time when Uri almost got ate alive by that momma bird?" the cub asked, forgetting that Ashka was in the middle of a story at the moment._

"_Tiburi," Ashka calmly started._

"_Oh oh, what about that time when Osaka nearly broke her leg when she fell!"_

"_Tiburi," _

"_And when I scaled that one tree all by myself!" He proudly proclaimed._

"_Tiburi!" Ashka yelled._

"_What?" Tiburi asked, ears up, but when he looked at Ashka he smiled and laughed guiltily. "Oh…sorry Ashka…"_

Mako was a stockier cub. He wasn't too stocky, but just enough that showed he would have strong limbs later on. His pelt was a dirty grayish brown color. On his front legs he had dusty colored 'socks' with brown spots covering them. His muzzle and belly were a bit darker of a dust color. A small tuft of black hair covered the top of his head, just barely swiping over the top of one of his eyebrows. His eyes were a gentle dark brown that could lure you in, then shut you out as though you'd never been in.

Sharra was simply amazed by it. All the other cubs looked somewhat the same, she and him were the only two cubs that stood out at all, but he would perhaps blend with the grasses a tad bit better than her. And he was only a little different, he wasn't anywhere near as different as she was. And she knew it. But he had invited her to go along with him and his friends to the Acacia's, so she must of gotten somewhere by saving him.

Sanura took charge of the cubs this time, while Tiaka was kept in the den. She walked a few strides ahead of them, not entirely happy with her new job, but she had taken it nonetheless. In some ways she was glad they seemed to have accepted Sharra, but in so many more ways she had not a care in the world about it either way.

Princess Sumayah was not happy at all about Mako's invitation. She especially wasn't happy that Mako was hanging around in the back, talking with Sharra.

"Who does she think she is?" The Princess griped. "What, she saves him, so she automatically thinks she's in?"

"Well, Mako did say-" Misha started.

"Don't blame Mako! This is all her doing. Stupid albino…" Sumayah growled.

"Maybe you ought to talk with Mako. I mean, you were friends with him first." Misha advised.

Sumayah thought about it a moment, swishing her tail as she did so. "Well," a smile played across her lips. "Yes, maybe I should."

"Oooh, girl you have that look, what're you plotting?" Misha asked, a smirk covering her muzzle.

The princess smiled and narrowed her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at Sharra. "Don't worry Misha, you'll see, after I talk to Mako, you'll see."

Misha was puzzled, but didn't push it any farther. She knew Sumayah wouldn't answer her anyway, no matter how hard she tried.

Once they got to the Acacia's Sumayah immediately dragged Mako off. Sharra joined in and played with the other cubs. They all seemed to accept her, even Misha. They played one game of tag before Sumayah and Mako returned. Sumayah had a pleased look on her face and winked to Misha as she walked by.

"Hey, mind if we join in?" Mako asked Junga.

"Naw man," He then ran up to Mako. "Join in, tag! You're it!" the other cub then whirled and tore off. Mako rolled his eyes.

"Now you're in for it!"

The day went by relatively quickly, and by the end, all seven cubs were tired to the point of exhaustion. Sanura took them back, refusing to carry any of them.

By the time they reached the den, the cubs could barely move. They made it as far as their parents before collapsing. Sharra lay sprawled against the wall that Sanura had laid claim too. Within seconds she was fast asleep, as were the other cubs. Sanura sighed as she looked down at the cub.

She shook her head and then lay down a few feet from her daughter. She had slowly begun to move away, not allowing Sharra as near to her as she had done. In a way, it was weaning her all over again, only this time, Sanura was weaning her daughter from her, instead of just her milk….

"_Most of the pride was still prejudiced against young Sharra. When she grew old enough, they made her sleep outside the den, she wasn't allowed inside it. King Ryasen didn't really approve, but Torianna had put her paw down." Ashka explained. _

"_Wow, they really didn't like her," Tiburi said. "But why? She never did anything to them"_

"_She didn't have too…"_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you for your reviews guys, they really made me feel good!

Chapter 5

Once again Sharra awoke before the sun had risen. She welcomed the cool of the morning and the slight darkness that overlaid the land. It gave her time to think, to reflect on the previous days happenings. It was also a good time for depression to kick in, before anyone was there to see it.

She refused to let anyone see her depressed, not that they would care anyway, except perhaps Mako. He might have cared, but she wasn't about to let him see anyway. She had many reasons to be depressed, but mainly she mourned over her color, or lack there of.

Of course, as the sun rose slowly over the horizon, her depression faded and she was ready to tackle the day, come what may.

Mako, Junga, Ukando and Natari all walked out of the den at the same time, they always did. Sharra stood waiting for them. Junga, Natari and Ukando all nodded to her as they passed, Mako paused long enough for her to rub her head under his chin, then continued down the steps, heading to the watering hole.

It had become a custom between the two, it could even be conceived that they were going out. This infuriated Sumayah, but she never let it show, especially to Sharra. Misha was perhaps the only one who knew, but then again she was the only one who knew Sumayah's plot as well.

Sumayah and Misha came a few minutes later, with Sumayah regarding Sharra with a look of pure venom. She allowed Sharra to be part of the group, but rarely said a word to the other young lioness unless it was to mock or make fun of her. But these were all things Sharra had grown up with, and was used to, if not indifferent about.

She followed them down the steps, only a few paces behind. Sumayah glanced over her shoulder once, shooting a glare in Sharra's direction. Sharra tipped her ears back, but followed along as always.

Upon reaching the watering hole, Sumayah calmly asked Mako to follow her over to the rocks. One of which had been dubbed long before as the Bluff, or guarding point for any adult who had cub-sat them.

Once they were there, alone and out of earshot, Sumayah regarded Mako with a coolness, a sharpness in her tone. "Mako, darling," she said sweetly, as she always did when she was around him. The first few times he'd rolled his eyes, but now he'd gotten used to it, and in some ways, he really liked it. "Don't you think 'it' has went on long enough?" Her tone was clipped, with an edge of irritation Mako quickly caught on to.

"I don't know what you're talking about Princess," he lied.

"Mako," She purred, rubbing up against him. She glanced back at him with her eyes half-lidded, tail curling up under his chin. A small smirk appeared in the corners of her lips as she saw him squirm. "I know you do, answer the question."

When he still refused, she sighed. "Well, whether you think it has or not, I do, so I suggest you do as I told you." With that, she rubbed up against him again, then licked his cheek and left.

"_What was that about? Why was she all over him like that?" Tiburi interrupted again._

"_Tiburi, why can't you be like all the other cubs and just listen?" Ashka asked, rubbing a small finger to his temple. _

"_Aw Ashka, I'm just curious." he complained._

_  
"Yes well your curiosity will get you in trouble one day. If you listen to the story, you'll have your questions answered in time. You'll just have to wait and see for this new question."_

Sharra noticed a difference immediately when Sumayah and Mako returned. The air was tense, and Sumayah had a malicious grin on her face that Sharra knew could not be good. It worried her.

But Mako returned and bumped heads with her as though nothing was wrong. This calmed her somewhat, but she remained on edge. Something was up, she could sense it.

Misha and Sumayah waded into the water and laid under the shade of the bluff in the water, gossiping. Sharra kept an eye on them, curious as all get out.

"Yo! Sharra, we're playing Waterball, you in or out?" Junga shouted from the shallows. Sharra turned and saw Natari wading into the water, carrying a small fruit in his mouth.

"She's out," Mako called from a rock. All heads turned toward him. He had their attention now, and he gulped, slightly afraid.

"What?" Sharra asked, frowning. "I never said-"

"You didn't have to, the game's over Sharra, you were out from the moment you were born." He laughed nervously, almost like the way you did before you burst into tears, but nobody caught on. "Why we even kept you in this long is a mystery in itself."

The world suddenly revolved around that small place, and all the lions in it. Sharra felt her throat close up, her muscles tense. She heard the dripping of water as Sumayah and Misha rose and walked over to the area where the rest were standing.

"Yeah, little white girl, get outta here," Sumayah chanted, standing on the rock by Mako, her eyes gleaming as she leaned against him. "It was fun while it lasted, well actually, it was hell, but he's through with you now, you're too low for him. Mako deserves a royal," she laughed, "And you'll _never_ be one." Sumayah said, putting emphasis on 'never'.

She felt the tears rushing to her eyes as she looked up at Mako's face. She couldn't see the pained expression in his eyes, all she saw was a non-caring jerk. All the words of malice mixed together as she suddenly realized what he had said earlier, and two and two came together. "The game's over," he had been planning this the whole time.

She looked up at him, tears gathering. She couldn't think of a single word to say, did he even deserve words? Did any of them? "Go to hell," She managed, staring right at Sumayah and Mako.

The young lioness then turned on her heel and tore off in the opposite direction. She didn't head for Pride rock, for no one there would care that she had just been ripped apart by those she had come to trust and love. In fact, she doubted there was a single being in the whole Pride lands that would care.

As her tears slid down her face like tiny rivers, she ran, legs pounding, heart thumping as the adrenaline raced through her body. She could think of nothing else other than getting far, far away from them. And only one thing played in her mind, over and over, "The game's over…"

"_Oh my god!" All cubs retorted in unison. _

_Ashka shook his head. "It's true little ones, those of the Pride lands were once that cruel."_

"_But why? Why did they have to do that? Didn't they care? Did they even have hearts?" Tiburi shot questions like gunshots._

"_Some did, and others were under a thing called peer pressure, thinking they had to do bad things, and not knowing they didn't. And it is those who later regret it, once they find the courage to say no. Remember this little ones, and let it be a lesson. Don't fall under Peer pressure." Ashka said, going off on a rant. He paused to re-gather his thoughts. _

"_Sharra did find creatures who cared however, a small lioness and an old baboon living in an overgrown tree on the very edge of the pride lands…"_

A/N: My boyfriend just dumped me tonight, so that was kinda the inspiration for this. I feel like crap, and Sharra is kinda going through what I am, only she's got more than just a break-up to contend with, she's got social shunning as well...Oh and she can cry, I, for some reason, want to cry but can't...so yeah...hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be up soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When she had finally collapsed and passed out from exertion Sharra was unsure. But her whole body was throbbing, and she couldn't even possess the energy to move. Her eyes opened and slowly adjusted, how long had she been out? It was dark, but not total darkness, the kind of dark she was used to, the dark that existed a few hours before the sun rose.

At that moment she didn't recall the happenings of the day before, all she cared about was where she was. Her surroundings were unknown to her. All she saw was tall grass, and weeds. She could hear a small creek gurgling somewhere near her. Her mouth was dry, maybe she could make it to the water source. Did she have that much energy?

Slowly she willed her legs to move, and even more slowly they stretched, muscles tensing with pain. After a moment or two she was able to stand, shakily. She moved forward, her breath coming in quick gasps, for even breathing hurt. Perhaps from the mad dash she'd made. She remembered her lungs burning before she'd went out.

Moments later, she reached the creek and once more collapsed. She scooted forward enough so that she could lap up the cool, refreshing water, then lay her head down and refused to move. Not that she could.

"Ashka, Ashka, there's something by the creek." Memmai, a small adolescent lioness bugged her caretaker.

"_It was you?" Tiburi asked._

_Ashka laughed. "Yes, Tiburi, it was me, and Memmai. Now listen to de story, and if you don't' stop interrupting me I'm going to have your parents take you back to Pride rock." _

_All the cubs glared in Tiburi's direction. "Yeah Tiburi, we want to hear the story," one complained. _

"_Ok, ok I'll stop…" Tiburi replied, lowering his head._

"Memmai, I was just dere, not'ing' is by de creek." Ashka replied, making some changes to a painting on his tree. Memmai frowned, not satisfied.

"But I saw movement, the grasses moved, Ashka, I know I've been prone to lie, but I'm not this time." she whined.

"Young one," Ashka said. Memmai lowered her ears. "If you don't believe me, go see for yourself."

The lioness nodded and then climbed down out of the tree. Once out she lowered herself to the ground, hunting mode kicking in. She slunk forward, trained eyes scanning the grasses, peering through them to see what was there. She saw a patch of white, but couldn't tell what it was.

Instinct made her want to pounce on it, but something held her back. What if it was something big? That could eat her? She shook her head, now she was just being silly. She moved closer, and the grasses thickened, now she could see nothing. She moved even slower now, Ashka's 'silence' training kicking in. He had taught her how to be silent even in the most non-silent areas. Or at least he was trying to teach her.

Now she was close enough, all she had to do was just move the grasses…and she could see. The sight almost made her jump back from pure surprise. Instead she settled for a muffled gasp. It was a lioness, much like herself, young and only in the adolescent stage of life. But, this lioness was white, something Memmai had never before seen.

After a moment or two of staring, Memmai realized that the lioness was either hurt or dead…and that she had been right, something was by the creek. She whirled, no long caring about being quiet. Bounding up to the tree, she scaled it in record time, then stood before Ashka, tail swishing. She was near breathless, but still managed to get the words out.

"Ashka, I was right, there's a lioness by the creek, she's not moving and I'm not sure whether or not she's breathing…" Memmai choked on the words through breaths.

The baboon wasted no time, grabbing his shaman stick and a melon, he instructed Memmai to grab some other things while he graciously left his tree and started over to the creek.

"Oh no," Ashka stated simply. "What've dey done?"

Memmai's ears perked forward. "What're you talking about? Do you know her?"

Ashka looked up at the lioness. "Yes, Memmai, I know her. I baptized her soon after she was born, like I do all de cubs. I knew something was not right in de Pride lands, I could feel it." Memmai was still confused, so as Ashka began moving about, examining Sharra, he explained. "I knew something was bound to happen wid dis one. Her moder near disowned her after de birth. The whole pride disliked her." He shook his head.

"All cause of her color huh?" Memmai said, summing it up. Ashka nodded.

"She's exhausted, and by de looks of it, her muscles are sore and overworked. Hand me some herbs." He instructed, taking the herbs and putting them into his hands. He then began working them into Sharra's coat, massaging the sore muscles. He worked hard, moving from one place to the next rather quickly.

Once the herbs had been worked into her coat and muscles, he grabbed one of the fruits and broke it open. He broke off a blade of grass and ripped it into tiny, shredded pieces, dropping them into the half-fruit. He tossed in some other herbs and then blended the mixture with a stick. Once it was blended together, he sat it down.

"Let's move her to de tree, she will be safer dere and dat way, we can be dere when she wakes up, and giver dis to her," he held up the mixture. Memmai nodded.

Together, she and Ashka moved Sharra from where she lay to the middle of the tree, where the two of them lived. It was not an easy process, and took longer than they had anticipated, but once they had her in the tree, it was all ok.

"She must really be hurting, to be out that much, huh Ashka?" Memmai asked, sitting nearby Sharra and watching her.

Ashka was mixing something else, as he often did, even when they didn't have something to tend too. "I think it's more den dat Memmai, physically, she's hurt only wit sore, overworked muscles. But she isn't here for no reason. Someting happened to her dat made her run faster and farther den her muscles are accustomed to. Whatever it was, it hurt her emotionally too, and she may be out for a while, until her mind stops spinning…"

_Once more Ashka paused, wanting the dramatic affect to lengthen. The cubs both hated and loved this about his story-telling. They hated it because he always did it when they were hanging on to his words for dear life, not able to wait for the next sentence, but they also loved it because they could take a moment to re-gather the story and even ask questions, as Tiburi had so happily taken a mind to._

"_So, if you get hurt like Sharra did, you can be unconscious for days?" Tiburi questioned. This time, no one yelled, for all were curious about that question._

"_Sharra was, Tiburi, but only because she had no energy left. She needed time to restore her energy, and having that type of mind set didn't help matters. She was to be ok though, it was just going to take her a while, like with any situation of that kind . Time heals all,"_

A/N: This was kinda thrown together, I wasn't sure what I wanted in the chapter or anything, I just really wanted to introduce Memmai into the story, and have Ashka tied into it again.

Something funny about this story is that my best friend Sarah has two characters in it. Sumayah is her fursona, (her as a lion) but so is Memmai. She acts nothing like Sumayah, but the name "Sarah" and "Sumayah" both mean Princess. Well, Sumayah acts like a stuck-up princess, and Memmai acts the way Sarah does. It's kinda funny, to me at least. But also somewhat confusing. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be up soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Once more Sharra awoke in strange surroundings. She didn't like it at all. She remembered collapsing near the creek, after taking a drink. Now she was in a tree with paintings and melons, fruits, and all sorts of different things. Where in the world was she?

"Ashka, she's stirring," Sharra heard a voice murmur. She groaned. What was going on?

"Sharra," someone else said, directing it to her. She opened her head and saw a smaller baboon, staring at her with a friendly smile. How did he know who she was? She'd never seen him before. "Good to see you wit eyes open."

Moaning, she opened her mouth to speak. Instantly some gooey substance was placed on her tongue and she swallowed instinctively, then pulled her lips back and licked the roof of her mouth repeatedly. The stuff hadn't tasted all that good after days of not eating anything.

"What's going on?" She pleaded, looking around. Other than the baboon there was a small lioness her age looking at her. "Who are you people and how do you know my name?" She asked, looking pointedly at the baboon.

Ashka laughed. "It's natural for you to be upset. I am Ashka, shaman of de Pride lands. I was dere shortly after you were born. I baptized you. And dis is Memmai, my friend and helper." Memmai nodded when Sharra turned her head to look at her.

"Ok, well what're you doing then? Why am I here, and what was that stuff you put in my mouth? Did you bring me here just to poison me?" She asked, not panicking, just asking.

"No, no, we are healing you Sharra. And dat stuff was to help your muscles. You have overworked dem and dey will be sore. Dat stuff will merely take the edge off so you don't feel the pain as much." Ashka explained. "Not everyone in de pride lands are as discriminatory as dose you have encountered."

Sharra looked around again. "I don't understand, how do you know all this stuff?"

"I don't, I am merely guessing. Why else would you be here, exhausted to de point of a coma, wit tear stains down your cheeks? Someting happened to you dat devastated you, else you would not be here." Ashka replied.

The lioness sighed. "Care to tell us?" Memmai asked, hoping.

"Talking will help more den you tink." Ashka put in.

Sharra looked at both of them and almost started crying all over again. How had she found these two? These creatures who were so open and so ready to accept her, help her. She wanted to be mean, to lash out at them, to make them hurt as much as she was, but it would do no good. They didn't deserve it either. She thought a moment.

"Sure," She agreed. "but I can stop if I want to right?" both Ashka and Memmai nodded. "Ok," she said, then began. She started off from how she hadn't been accepted until she'd saved Mako, then continued with how things had went, with her being accepted. Then she paused, looking up and trying not to cry, but knowing she needed to finish. She was already feeling better.

She told them of that day, and how Mako had been so cold, and how Sumayah had thrown herself at him and returned with even more words of venom. She ended with how she had fled, running with tears streaming down her face until she had collapsed, waking up to get a drink, falling unconscious again, and then waking up where she was now.

"Wow," Memmai stated when she finished. "How could they do that? How could they be so cold?" she asked.

Sharra was crying again, and she didn't like it. She didn't cry in front of anyone, but the tears just kept coming, unrelenting.

"Sharra was different from dem, and deir parents probably encouraged dem. You forget Memmai, de whole pride was against her." He shook his head, then placed a hand on Sharra's shoulder. "No matter what anyone tells you, remember dis Sharra. You are strong, stronger den dey will ever be." He looked down at her, then tipped her chin upward, so that she was forced to look him in the eye. "Someday you will return to de Pride lands, and you will show dem, you may not be a royal, and you may not be de most glamorous of lionesses. But you have a spirit so strong and so powerful, it will dazzle any of dose lucky enough to see it. When you return, make dem wish they'd never messed with you."

"But Ashka, what if I never return?" Sharra asked.

"You will, you can't let dem win, Sharra. If you don't go back, dey will mock and ridicule you forever, call you a coward. You don't have to return right away, but sooner or later you have to return. A wise shaman once said, 'De past can hurt, but you can eider run from it, or learn from it'. You ran from it, now it's time to learn from it."

"_Who said that again?" Tiburi asked as Ashka once again paused._

"_Rafiki, de shaman of Mufasa, Simba, and Kovu's times. He said it during de shadow reign, before Simba took his place." The cubs all nodded, knowing that story well. _

"_Did Sharra learn from it?" _

_Ashka laughed, smiling. "So many questions dat will be answered soon enough," he rubbed Tiburi's head. "Your curiosity will eider condemn you or help you on your life journey young one."_

A/N: The next chapter will be better, I'm personally getting bored with just these three characters...and yeah...I'm trying to have Ashka have the accent again, I started him off with it...I'm just not used to a character having an accent. So if at one point I forget, just pretend I didn't and let me know, I'll fix it. I plan on going back and fixing the times I didn't in the other chapters...


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Tiburi isn't Sharra's son, just fyi. And Ashka, Sharra, and Memmai don't really mean anything. Sharra and Memmai were names that I found after taking a "what's your lion king identity" thing. Well I found Sharra, my best friend found Memmai. We were creating a character for her and found Sumayah on but I don't remember the language it was under…Sharra could mean loyal I suppose, because the identity thing said, and I quote "Sharra, a small white lioness from the pride lands, loyal in nature." For the rest, you'll have to take Ashka's advice, "_listen to de story, you'll have your questions answered in time. You'll just have to wait and see,"_

Chapter 8

Time heals all was the exact saying Sharra told herself every morning. And gradually, the pain she felt began ebbing away, both physical and emotional pain. Her muscles grew stronger again, rejuvenating themselves.

She and Memmai spent a lot of time together, with Memmai teaching Sharra the things she knew about medicine, and Sharra slowly coming to terms with her past. Sharra had never asked about Memmai's past, or how she'd gotten to be with Ashka, she figured Memmai would tell her on her own terms.

As sunlight poured through the leaves of the shaman tree, Sharra sat at the top on a large, sturdy branch, overlooking the pride lands. She welcomed the sun's warming rays, and allowed a smile to tug at the corners of her lips. She felt truly happy, she wasn't suspicious of her two new friends, and she didn't have to watch what she did or said around them, as she had done around the cubs, even when she had been a part of them.

Everything was in perfect balance for her. She still thought about her time at Pride rock, but it didn't hurt as much anymore. She and Ashka had often talked about it and he had made certain things more clear for her. She lowered her ears, it would be time for her to return soon.

The branches and leaves rustled below her and she turned her head to look down, seeing Memmai making her way, somewhat clumsily, up to meet her. "Hey Mai," she said, shortening her friend's name.

"Hiya, what d'ya do up here every morning?" Memmai asked as she found a seat beside Sharra. She looked out over the vast area that was the pride lands.

"Just look, and think." Sharra replied. Memmai nodded.

"Yeah, it is great to look at, isn't it?

Sharra nodded. "Mai, I don't want to go back. I've been, err I've felt so at home here. You guys have just been so willing to accept me, I mean," she laughed in a choking way, "You saved my life for crying out loud."

"Hey now, you weren't going to die." Memmai retorted.

"But that's just the thing Memmai, you don't know that, if I hadn't have met you guys, I probably would have let myself." Sharra said, looking out again. Her eyes settled on Pride rock, and her thoughts swirled around memories.

"You can't be so hard on yourself. What happened, happened, you can't change it, but like Ashka's always telling you, you can learn from it. And in order to do so, you have to go back. You have to face him, face Mako and the others. Find out what really happened Sharra. I think there's more to the story than what you experienced." Memmai replied, nuzzling her friend.

Sharra sighed. Her thoughts zeroed in on those words once more, '_the game's over_'. She looked up at Memmai. "You're right Mai, but when should I go? And will you go with me?" Memmai's ears tipped back and rested against her head, her eyes took on a distant look.

"You can go anytime you're ready, but, I-I can't go…" She said, starting down the branch.

"What? Why? Memmai wait!" Sharra said, following after Memmai.

As they reached the bottom of the tree and were on solid ground, Memmai finally turned around. "You don't understand," she said, once more being distant.

"Try me Mai, I'll never understand if you never tell me."

Memmai looked up at her, tears starting. "My mom is there," she uttered. Sharra's ears perked forward, then back and a small gasp escaped her.

"What?"

Memmai sucked in a breath, "Yeah, she had me, and like your mom, she didn't really want me, but she really didn't. She had been raped, and she was going to kill me, but Ashka stopped her, he took me instead, saying I didn't deserve to be killed just because I would be a reminder to her. You can go back Sharra, but I'll never be able to face her." Memmai said, leaning against her friend and sobbing.

"I do understand Memmai. And someday, maybe a long time from now, you will return too, and you'll show your mom what she missed. You'll make her sorry for wanting to give you up."

Sumayah paced the den, growling to herself. Misha sat in the corner, watching. The princess often did this nowadays. She was almost always ticked off and it was hardly worth the effort to try and talk to her. Instead Misha just let her steam. "I don't get it, how come Katu get's the throne? He doesn't have a mate either? Why should he get it?" She growled. "This is all Dad's doing…sexist…"

Misha swished her tail, not sure what to say. It bugged her too, but not quite as much, perhaps because she wasn't the Princess. Of course if she was, she would have been even more bothered by it, because she had a mate. Natari had grown into a strong male, and the two of them, as they always had been, were meant to be together.

"And why won't Mako admit it? Why won't he admit that he loves me? I mean, I'm the one who got rid of that stupid albino for him. He owes me…he'd probably still be making her think she was part of us if it weren't for me." Sumayah vented for the umpteenth time.

A low, menacing growl emitted from the shadows and made both Princess and friend jump, gasping in shock. "So it was you," Sharra said, stepping out from the shadows. Her teeth were bared and her eyes burned fire. "You're the one who put him up to it." She growled. "I should have known."

At first, Sumayah was too scared to say a word, but once she realized just who it was, she calmed a bit. Her eyes narrowed and she glared back at Sharra. "Well, what do we have here? A little albino who doesn't know her place. You never did know it Sharra. You're below everyone, even the lowest omega is above you. What will coming back here achieve?" the Princess spat back.

Before that speech would have thrown Sharra's confidence into the dumps. But not anymore, she wasn't scared of Sumayah. She growled again. "It already achieved one thing, I found out why Mako did what he did."

"He did that because he loves me Sharra, what he said was true, I just helped him along." Sumayah growled, the fur along the back of her neck and back bristling.

"No, I don't believe you, because I've had that memory playing in my head over and over, and now that I know the real truth, I know he was lying. And if you replay that day in your head, you'll know it too. He near choked on those words," Sharra said, watching as Sumayah attempted to go back. "Look at the expression he had on his face before you threw yourself at him. You were the one who was out Sumayah. No one other than Misha liked you. You were just the stuck up Princess who always got her own way." Sharra growled.

Sumayah gasped. She had never been dissed before and didn't like it one bit. "How dare you," her eyes narrowed into tiny slits and her claws came out.

Sharra was undaunted. "You represented the 'cool' crowd so everyone joined up, they listened to your words, they only stayed with you because of your status. If you weren't the Princess they wouldn't have anything to do with you. Misha might, she's your only true friend. And she probably always will be your only one." Sumayah gasped, as did Misha.

"Chew on that for a while Sumayah, and suffer with the reality of it." Sharra growled, leaving the den.

"_Wow, that's cold." Tiburi said._

"_Yes it was, but Sumayah deserved every bit of it, Tiburi." Ashka said, smiling. _

"_Oh I know, but it's just kinda funny how Sharra could go from being so like sad and nice and reclusive to being downright vicious." Tiburi pondered. _

_Ashka smiled. "It happens." the cubs yawned and started to get up. "Where are you going? De story is not done yet. Sit back down." the cubs eagerly did so, their ears perking up once more. _

"_Sharra still had to come to terms with Mako, remember?"_

A/N: Wow, I didn't know I could write comebacks like that...lol. Actually I'm not sure if they're all that good...but I had fun coming up with the ideas and everything. Hope you liked this one, I'm off to type the next one!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I am probably most like Sharra, or at least I want to be. At times I'm like her and then other times I incorporate qualities in her that I want in myself. So yeah, anyway, here's chapter 9, hope you like it, I"m off to bed now...lol, school sucks...

Chapter 9

She had been brave and confident up till then. Now her stomach had butterflies flying everywhere, and they seemed to be pushing at the very edge of her stomach, trying to free themselves. She licked her lips, wishing she could just go back to the safety of Ashka's tree. She didn't want to do this part. Her whole body shook as she sat in the shade of a boulder, watching.

From where Sharra lay she could see everything at the watering hole. Prince Katu and the whole gang of guys were all talking, she could only catch a little of what was being said. So far, she'd gathered that they were celebrating over Prince Katu being able to be the one to take the throne. They were playing Waterball and splashing and soaking each other.

Sharra swished her tail. Perhaps she should wait. She needed to talk to Mako, alone. This she knew, but doing so may be hard, especially now, since Sumayah knew she was back. Would the Princess go crying to her lover? Probably only to once more try and make him admit he loved her, Sharra thought, replaying Sumayah's words in her head. "Why won't he admit he loves me?"

The young lioness rose and slunk over to the watering hole, careful to stay hidden in the tall grasses, weaving her way around so that she was once more hidden in the shadows of the boulders. She wedged herself between two and from there watched. Now she could clearly hear them and see them as well. She felt water on her feet, and knew that water seeped in a little through the boulders.

She looked out and inspected them again. This time she paid close attention to what they looked like now. They had changed some.

All the lions had manes now, each of varying thickness and colors, but all had manes nonetheless. She looked at Mako the most, and felt a pang.

His dark grey brown coat was wonderfully shiny and healthy, the light sand colored socks with the brown spots hadn't changed much on his front legs. But he had grown in a thick, black mane that poufed just a little. She sighed.

"Man Katu, how are you gonna rule the kingdom without a mate? You really need to start looking." Junga teased, shouldering the Prince and shoving him into the water.

Katu surfaced and growled at Junga, glaring at him. "Nah, I mean, it'd be nice, but I wouldn't say I _need_ a mate. But then again, tell that to my parents." They all laughed at that. "As far as mates go, Sumayah should take it, you know she'd have you as her King Mako." Katu said, shooting a friendly smirk Mako's way.

Mako splashed him. "Ain't no way, I learned that lesson a while ago." he replied, sticking his tongue out and pretending to gag.

That gesture made Sharra feel slightly better, but at the same time, she felt a few pangs of anger right along with it.

"Hey, I'm off to go practice hunting, any of you wanna join me?" Mako asked, ears tipping forward.

The gang shook their heads, and Ukando replied. "Nah, we're having too much fun, you shouldn't bail on us!" He fake-yelled.

Mako laughed. "Yeah well, the way I see it, if I have to be a rogue, I'll have to learn how to care for myself till I get a pride right?" the all rolled their eyes and gestured him on.

Shaking his head, Mako exited the watering hole, shook himself and then moved on.

In the small space the two boulders offered, Sharra turned and squeezed gracefully out. She followed along a safe distance behind Mako, some of the confidence returning. Or perhaps it was the anger. For some odd reason, anger made her confident.

She wondered how to go about it. Should she just follow along behind until she got enough courage to go for it? Or should she devise some weird scheme to confront him? She smiled. Hunt the hunter…

"Ashka I really don't know about this…" Memmai said, pacing. Ashka watched her in silent scrutiny. "I mean, I don't even know what she looks like, how will I know it's her?"

"Dat is exactly why you must go Memmai, and you will know if it is her. Your heart will tell you, as will your gut," Ashka said, chuckling. "Sharra is already dere, facing her past, it is time you faced yours. She'll be dere by de time you arrive, let her help you if you need it." Ashka said, offering a pleasant, encouraging smile.

"But she didn't want me!" Memmai near yelled. "She didn't care, she was going to kill me! Who says she still won't if she finds out?" the lioness cried out, tears straining to come forth.

Ashka sighed and laid a gentle arm around Memmai's shoulders. "Memmai, I have a feeling your mother will not kill you. She had de chance, I stole it away from her, and even if I hadn't, I doubt she would have went drough wit it. Have faith chil'. You'll see, now go home, where you belong."

Nerves of excitement prickled up and down Sharra's legs and along her spine. Hunting always gave her that exhilaration. Perhaps she got it from her mother. Whatever the case, she was pretty good at hunting. Now she crept forward, her belly almost on the ground. Not a sound was heard, the grasses barely whined as she slid through them.

Her target was directly in front of her, she could see his swishing tail, and knew he was totally unaware. She followed him further, speeding up, slowing down, not wanting to get too close. She was still trying to devise what to say, perhaps she didn't need words.

Maybe she could just knock him flat, take the wind from him and let him see who had pinned him, then leave. But that wouldn't work, he'd seek her out, follow her, demanding to know what was going on. She narrowed her eyes. Maybe it could work. Only one way to find out…

Now she circled, as he crouched down into hunting mode. She went around his targeted herd, making sure to stay well hidden in the grasses. Sharra moved with him, step for step, almost mirroring him. A chill raced through her body as the adrenaline began pumping.

She saw his muscles tense, he was getting ready for the kill. Smiling she moved in, faster and faster until she saw him burst forward. She sprang to meet him, colliding with him in mid-air, then using her weight to throw them both backwards. Toppling over and over each other her heart raced, muscles tingling and on the edge.

Finally they landed, Sharra on top of him, teeth bared in his face. She growled low and deep in her throat, then looked down on him with a look of pure ice. The look on his face was priceless. He was utterly shocked. "Sh-Sharra?" He muttered.

She frowned and glared at him as she got up and began walking away. "Sharra, wait!" He called after her as he rose, and as she had planned, he began following after her.

She quickened her step.

"What was that about? And where did you come from? We thought you were gone," he started. At this point, Sharra whirled around to face him, stopping him dead in his tracks, his face only inches from hers.

"Thought, and you never checked did you? No one ever looked, no one ever cared. Oh look, the white one is gone, now we can live happily ever after. She could have a broken leg or something, hey she might even be dead, even better. At least she's gone, right Mako? After all, the game ended a long time ago." She spat, then turned and started walking again.

"Wait! It wasn't like that," he started again.

"Oh really, what was it like? Look, I got rid of her, now I can have Sumayah." She growled.

Mako's face twisted into a sad expression. "No, you don't understand alright. That's not how it happened."

"You're right, she told you to get rid of me. Is that supposed to be better? Supposed to soften the blow? Guess what, it didn't. You wanted her all along, well guess what, you should have just taken her, you didn't owe me anything, and you still don't." Sharra growled, feeling the tears she had tried so hard to keep away springing upward.

"Yes I do," Mako called as Sharra once more walked away. She stopped, then turned her head to look back at him. "I owe you an apology Sharra. I owe you my life. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here today."

"Yeah, glad you noticed. But you still don't owe me anything, I saved your life only because I wasn't going to watch you die."

"I'm not finished." Mako said, fighting back his own tears. "I was wrong for what I did, and I've regretted it since that day. But you don't know what it's like."

"No, you're right, I don't, and I don't plan to," Sharra retorted, walking off again.

Mako continued, knowing she would stop again, "I thought I really liked Sumayah, I thought she was the one for me. And at first, it was just a game, I was fine going along with it. But the more time that passed, the more I began to like you. And," he paused, biting his lip to fight back his emotions. "you know Sumayah, she hates you. I thought everything would be ok, even if I did go through with it. I didn't know it would hurt so much."

Having stood there, not facing him, Sharra had listened. Now she whirled on him. "Hurt? Hurt? How do you know anything about hurt? Do you have any idea what you did to me?" She yelled, her tears spilling over and dripping down her cheeks. "I almost died because of you!"

He was still biting his lip, having the same pained expression on his face. "It hurt me too, alright? I never should have done it, but I was young, I was stupid, and I learned from that mistake. I hate myself because of what I did, and everyday I wondered what happened. But if I left to find you, I wouldn't be allowed to return, and I wasn't ready to leave Pride rock just yet." He wiped his paw over his face and looked up at her. "And what about you? Why did you come back?"

Sharra growled. "Why should I tell you? What does it matter?" she asked, but ended up spilling anyway. "I needed closure, I needed to know why. Well, looks like I found out." She looked up toward Pride rock. "Now that I have, I'm going home." She turned.

"Wait Sharra, don't go." Mako pleaded. "Let me make it up to you somehow. Please."

She pondered for a moment. "Why should I?"

He gulped, hard. "Be-because I, I," he shook his head and then blurted, "Because I love you Sharra!" Her head whipped around. "I've loved you since that day you rescued me. None of the others would have dared it. Not even Sumayah. And yet you, who no one ever cared about just dived in. It didn't make any sense. And then we became friends and with every time we spent together I loved you even more. Please don't go Sharra. I can't bear losing my best friend again."

_All the cubs sat in shock, hanging onto Ashka's words. "So what happened next?" Tiburi shouted. _

_Ashka held a hand to his ear and sighed. "You'll find out, I need a break, and you all need to get up and stretch." _

"_Aww!" They whined. _

"_Now now, do as I say, go on." Ashka said, moving his hands in an effort to get them moving. Reluctantly they did as he said._

"_When do we find out what happens next?" Tiburi whined._

"_After you move around a bit." _

A/N: Hehe, had to leave you with a cliffy, sorry.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry I left you all w/ a cliffy for so long, but I felt sad that I didn't get any reviews for so long. I left a cliffy thinking you'd all yell at me to hurry up. Which yes sounds really bad, but I was curious. But I got nothing, so I didn't have much incentive to finish it right away. So I thank my last reviewer, for finally yelling at me!

Oh and by the way, still going for real life experiences, I was going to do something different than what I'm going to do, but I'll explain at the end of this story…which may last longer than I thought…lol

Chapter 10

_After returning from their romp, the cubs all eagerly gathered in Ashka's tree once more. It was time for the baboon to resume his story. The baboon was painting when the cubs returned, adding the finishing touches to something they couldn't quite see. But none of them cared about the painting right then. They wanted to know how the story ended. _

"_Ashka! We're ready to hear the rest of it now," Tiburi whined. The old baboon smiled from behind his painting. _

_Slowly, he set his materials down, taking his time, wanting once more to build the effect. The cubs, as predicted, whined and complained, wanting to know more. Finally, he turned and sat to see all the cubs on edge, ears perked forward, eagerly waiting. He chuckled softly, glad he had sparked such an interest._

_"Now, you can hear de rest of de story…"_

A mix of emotions swelled inside Sharra. Her fur stood on end and her tail twitched. For so long she had wanted his love, had pined for him, and cried over him. Now he was confessing it to her; and all she felt was anger. Pure anger and hatred boiled inside her.

Tears were no longer evident. Her eyes took on an icy cold glare as she looked at him. A low growl, deep in her throat emitted outward, as she thought of what to say. Finally, after a few moments of an awkward silence, she replied. Her words were laced with venom, pouring forth all the hatred and anger she felt in that single moment, "The game's over Mako, get over it…"

Memmai didn't see Sharra anywhere as she entered the vast pridelands. She had hoped to run into her, but to no avail. She was on her own to face her mother. Inside the young lioness knew this was good, it was something she needed to do on her own, but she had wanted reassurance.

Her stomach was in knots. What would her mother say? Would she recognize her? How would Memmai introduce herself? Her mother didn't even know her name…One way or another, this was going to be very interesting…

The lioness was a few shades lighter than Memmai, and her stomach and muzzle were a creamier color than Memmai's. The lioness also had creamy tips to her paws. The sun shone almost directly on her, as she lay out on a relatively flat rock. It brought out the highlights of her pelt and almost gave her a glow.

Upon setting eyes on her, Memmai knew, just as Ashka had predicted. It was her mother laying there, sleeping peacefully, with no clue that the daughter she'd abandoned was standing only ten or so feet away. The younger lioness gulped, tail twitching nervously.

"What's so interesting about Uta?" Memmai jumped at someone talked right beside her. The lion, a young male her age, immediately bowed. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to scare you…"

After catching her breath, she shook her head. "No, it's ok, you just startled me," She said. It took a few seconds more before she could answer his previous question. "Um, nothing, I just need to talk to…" she paused, then remembered, "Uta." The lion nodded and then backed up, turned around and walked off.

Taking a deep breath, Memmai began to walk over. Her stomach was in a thousand knots, and with each step more seemed to form. The sun, which normally felt so warm and welcome, now only succeeded in making her feel hot and sweaty. She felt her tongue dry up, and her throat start to close. She had never thought about facing her mother. Now here she was, right in front of her, and there was no turning back.

Just as Memmai reached her, the lioness opened an amber-brown eye. Perhaps this was because of the shadow that Memmai cast upon her, blocking the sun temporarily. As soon as her eyes could focus and she had really looked at the young lioness in front of her, Uta jumped from pure shock, falling off the other side of the rock. She rose and stared, in openmouthed shock. "Y-you…it's..I-" but she couldn't form a complete sentence.

Tears started to build in Memmai's eyes, her mother recognized her. But she couldn't tell if it was a good or bad sign. "I'm your daughter," she choked out.

Uta stood there, staring. She knew. She couldn't believe it. When Ashka had taken the tiny cub, Uta had thought she'd never see it again. At the time, she hadn't cared. But now, being faced with what she had created, a whole mix of emotions swirled inside her. "I-I can't believe this is happening," she murmured.

Memmai couldn't take it anymore. She bit her lip, and then turned, saying, "I never should have come." She began to run off, not sure where to go.

It took Uta a few minutes for everything to connect. Once it did, she pounced over the rock, yelling at Memmai, "Wait, come back!"

Memmai slowed down to a walk, then a stop, and looked back.

"I don't even know your name." Uta said as she reached her.

Biting her lip, the lioness replied, "Memmai." She waited, as Uta nodded, obviously liking the name. Then she said, "Why? Why did you just let him…take me? Why were you going to kill me? Why blame me for what I had no control over!" She yelled, tears bursting forward like raging rivers. She collapsed at the lioness's feet, crying out in anger, hurt, and confusion.

Uta had never been confronted by any of these questions, had never had to, but she knew they needed answering. But the truth was, she didn't even know herself. "I-I was young, stupid, and I thought, every time I saw you that it would only remind me of him. I didn't want to be faced with that the rest of my life. So I thought by killing you, I could kill the memory." She sighed, then looked down at her weeping daughter. "Ashka wouldn't let me. So when he took you, I thought it would still be ok. I wouldn't have to see you and be reminded. But I know better now. And looking at you, I don't see him, I see myself, a courageous young lioness waiting to surface. You have his eyes, yet not quite the intensity of them." And there, Uta stopped, her own tears muting her. She could not talk anymore.

Memmai sniffed and looked up at her mother. Uta was biting her lip as a few tears spilled down her cheeks. The younger sighed and stood to look at her mother. "Maybe I'll never understand, maybe I wasn't supposed to, but-I-I've wanted to know for so long. I've wanted a mother, a real mother."

Uta lifted her head and smiled. "Now that you've found me Memmai, I don't plan on sending you away again,"

"_Awww!" The cubs called in unison. Ashka laughed at this, and smiled._

"_Oh little ones, I'm glad you are liking de story, and jus tink, at de beginning, you dot it would only be like any other one I've told you."_

"_Guess we were wrong huh Ashka?" one of the cubs asked._

_Before the baboon could answer however, Tiburi, as always, cut in. "But the story isn't over yet, is it Ashka?"_

_The baboon merely smiled at the inquisitive young cub. "No, Tiburi, it is not.."_


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: No, Tiburi isn't Sharra's son. And to Troy um, can't remember the other part of your name, you didn't leave me a review, at least, not on the story. And that was a really weird review you did leave. A note to the wise, don't dis a specific 'category' writer based on one or two fics you've read. And don't tell a 'good' writer that they are one of the few good ones. There are many good lion king fic writers, and I don't care to hear about any non-good ones. So I'm asking, unless you're going to leave a review on my story, or ask me about the story, something pertaining to the story, and only the story, do not leave one, thank you.

Chapter 11

"What did he do?" Ashka asked when Sharra had returned and told him about all that had happened.

"He just stood there, so I left." Sharra replied, swishing her tail nonchalantly. Ashka chuckled lightly.

"Now, don't you feel better?"

Sharra smiled. "Yeah, I do, thanks Ashka, for everything." She then embraced the baboon in a tight hug, her paw encircling his shoulders.

The baboon laughed, "What're shaman's for?"

"You know, I didn't think about it much yesterday, but I don't recall seeing you around here." Memmai's ears flicked back to catch the words, and slowly she turned her head. It was the young male she'd encountered the day before.

From her perch on a small rock overlooking the waterhole, she turned herself so she could talk to him. "I'm not from around here, to be truthful. It's a long story, and one I'd rather not go into right now." The lion merely smiled.

"Well, that's alright, I already know the story anyway." This made Memmai cock her head in curiosity. "Yeah, Uta told the pride, seeing as some unfamiliar lioness was hanging around her, she had to tell the King and Queen, and they in turn told the pride." The lion explained, a smile spreading across the corners of his face.

A shy smile crossed Memmai's lips, and she nodded. "Did she happen to tell you my name?" she asked, curious.

"Nah, I figured I'd find out from you."

"Memmai,"

"Very pretty name," the comment made heat rise to Memmai's cheeks. "I'm Katu," he paused, then added, "Prince Katu."

"_Whoa! No way, the Prince?" Tiburi exclaimed. The other cubs all gawked as well, speechless, unlike Tiburi._

"_Yes little ones, Katu." The whispered to one another for a few minutes before Ashka sighed and asked them to be silent once more. Nothing happened. _

_However, the soft shaking of the branches where some sat, and the scratch of claws on bark made many either scream or jump. All were quiet and huddled around Ashka within seconds. _

_Chuckling softly, Ashka looked up to see Sharra descending the branch that had been shaken. When the cubs made out who it was, they all squealed in delight and rushed over to her. "Sharra!" they yelled. _

_Sharra laughed and hugged a few close. "Hey guys," she smiled. She looked up at Ashka, who was giving her a look. She shook her head, "I was just hanging around up there, and overheard you telling the story. When the cubs wouldn't calm down, I thought I'd pitch in to help."_

"_So what happened?" They all chirped when she had finished explaining. Ashka looked up to Sharra and she gave him a wink. _

_Leaning down, she said, "Well, Memmai freaked out to say the least, and had to find me…"_

After talking with Katu for a while, and finding out somewhat of Sharra's history, amongst Katu's own, Memmai flew back to Ashka's tree, wanting to tell him everything. She also wanted to find Sharra, perhaps she wanted to find Sharra more, but she went to Ashka's tree first.

Once in it, she found him hovering over a painting, and after looking at it a little, she found it to be of two lions, and he was spreading blew over their heads, symbolizing they were mates. He stood there for a few minutes, softly humming to himself, then slowly turned around, smiled and offered his hands in a hug. She took the hug and sighed. "Spill," the baboon asked.

Memmai gladly did, but left out most of the details about her meeting the Prince. Once finished, she asked, "Has Sharra been back?"

Ashka shook his head, "No, she still has one ting left to do."

Once more Sharra found herself in darkness. This time it was outside of the caves, in the shadows the den cast. Her mother was hovering over a kill she had made and had hidden. Sharra watched her for a while, debating over her words for a while. Finally she moved forward, with all the stealth and poise a true hunter could desire.

When she was right behind her mother, she said, "Shouldn't that be shared with the pride?" The lioness gasped and jumped, then whirled at the same time to land in a protective, snarling stance over her kill. When she saw that it was Sharra her face took on a more shocked expression.

"Sharra," she said. Sharra merely nodded. "Wh-what're you doing here?"

"What, didn't you miss me? Didn't think so. Don't worry mom, I'm not staying here. And it's obvious I didn't make you feel anything. Just thought I'd stop by before I left and let you know that I'm fine, that I'm still alive, not that you would care."

Sanura was shocked, unable to speak. But she, unlike Mako, did not have a look of regret on her face. After a moment or so, she merely shook her shoulders. "I'm your mother Sharra, I knew you were alive, but you're an adult now, I've no use for you." She was just as cold as Sharra had expected.

Sharra merely dipped her head in a 'tushee' gesture and replied, "I have no use for you either Sanura, you're not worthy of the title 'mom', and never will be." That hit a nerve, but Sharra didn't stay long enough for her mother to retaliate. She turned on her heel and walked off, not caring one way or another whether she ever saw her mother again...

"_So is that the end of the story?" This time it was another cub who asked, instead of Tiburi. _

_Sharra turned toward the other one and smiled. "No, Liana, it's not. There's still plenty more, for now though, I think I'll let Ashka take over again. I have some business to attend to in the pridelands."_

_The cubs all groaned at Sharra's departure, but as soon as she was gone, they eagerly turned toward Ashka once more. _

"_Now little ones, you can be honest, who's de better storyteller?" _

A/N: I almost gave Sharra a little sibling, but decided against it. It would have been interesting, but it would have interfered with my plot. And the original idea was to have Sharra and Mako get back together, but that was when I still wanted to get back together with my ex, and now I really don't, I hate his guts and wish he would die and burn in he. So yeah, anyway, I'll let the story develop on from here, lol.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Yes, I realize there were a lot of mistakes in that chapter; I was sort of out of it during the writing of. I know that I had Ashka say that Sharra had not been back, and that she really was, ignore that. She was back, but she had to return to the pridelands, so yeah….ignore the mistakes, I don't know what was going on….

Chapter 12

It was night when Memmai found Sharra. The white lioness had been heading back to the tree house once more, and the fawn one had been heading to the pridelands. They found each other near an outcropping of rocks that was home to a leopard and it's cubs, but the leopard was not there that night, so it was the perfect place to stay the night and talk.

Rain pelted the savannah, making the rocks seem even more intriguing. Memmai sat the closest to the outside, liking the feel of the slight mist against her fur. Her tail curled a bit as she recalled her chat with the prince. Sharra simply smiled and nodded, trying to pay attention while not re-living the past over again.

"We talked about a lot of things, it was so much fun. He even mentioned you once or twice Sharra." Memmai said. "Sharra?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Really, what did he say?" She asked, shaking her head to bring herself back.

"Well he mentioned a white cub that used to hang around with them until Mako did that. Mako never explained to the group about it, and Sumayah only bragged about it to Misha. But Misha told Natari, so the whole group ended up finding out after you were gone. Natari, Ukando, Junga, Mako, and Katu all stayed pretty close, but Sumayah and Misha sorta branched off I guess. Well, except Misha and Natari are mates I guess."

Sharra smiled and laughed. It was girl talk once more. She and Memmai had always talked before, but now they had stuff to actually talk about, things she had only heard Misha and Sumayah talk about, but had never been able to join in. She sighed, and then said, "Yeah, Misha and Natari were real close when we were all young too. I think they were betrothed or something, who knows? Either way, that doesn't surprise me. So you and Katu really talked huh? He tell you that he was going to be King?"

"Yeah, he was sort of excited about it, but I got the vibe that he's also unsure."

"Well, he's a better candidate than his sister. Sumayah is so stuck up and so full of herself she'd turn the pridelands into the shadow lands again." Sharra shook her head. She then laughed as a though crossed her mind.

Memmai's ears tipped forward and she asked, "What's so funny?" Sharra shook her head. "Come on, just tell me."

"What if you and Katu got together? You'd be Queen." All color left Memmai's face at the thought. "Can you imagine? You'd have the rule over the whole pridelands!"

"But think of the responsibility…and wow…that'd be so much power…all on my shoulders…I don't know." Her tail swished nervously.

"Memmai, no one's saying it would happen. And besides, there's no rule saying you would have to be Queen. You could just be a mate who helps him on some decisions, but doesn't make any major ones."

"And what if something were to happen to him? Then I'd have to assume the throne, because you pointed out Sumayah could never handle it." She sighed. "Well, I don't have to worry about that right now; Prince Katu and I are just friends."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing, you won't be calling him Prince for long. He hates that, always did. If you become friends at all, he'll tell you to quit."

"He already did, but he is a Prince, and he should be respected in that manner." Sharra laughed again.

"Oh Mai, just call him Katu, or you'll never get anywhere with him."

Sharra woke early and slowly crept over Memmai and outside the makeshift den. The rocks were still wet and somewhat slipper, but Sharra walked over them easily. She slid down one and then walked into the tall grasses, her mind racing. Mai would be staying in the pridelands, that much had become obvious. But Sharra had decided to stay as far from them as she could. She sighed. She definitely had a dilemma.

Casually, Sharra walked through the grasses, thinking. What could she do? She couldn't stay; Mako, Sumayah, and her mother were all in the pridelands. She had already faced them, and wasn't about to face them everyday. Sighing, the lioness started to turn back and ran smack dab into something hard. It knocked her over and she sat, holding a paw to her head. She opened her eyes and through her tuft of hair saw a lion her age. "I'm sorry, are you alright?" He asked.

Sharra regained her feet and shook her head. "Fine, thanks. That was my fault, I wasn't paying attention."

"Well, as long as you're alright. I'm Keiji." He said, dipping his head.

"Sharra," she returned his gesture.

A/N: hehe, cliffeh…lol. I know I had no questions from Tiburi or anything, but I was lazy…there will be some in the next chapter. Hope you guys liked this one!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_At this the cubs all stopped, exchanging glances with each other. Ashka smiled, waiting. Finally Tiburi perked up. "So what happened next?"_

"_Well, dere was an awkward silence, but Sharra and Kieji shyly filled it by getting to know each oder." Ashka started, once more diving into story mode._

"So um, what brings you to the Pridelands?" Sharra finally managed. The lion looked around, a small frown crossing the corners of his muzzle.

"I cam from the Kilimanjaro pride, just west of the outlands," he said, nodding his head toward that direction. Sharra dipped her head, motioning him on. "I was a prince there. Out of four siblings, three princes and one princess. My brother was the first of us to find a mate, therefore he took the throne."

"Oh, I see." Sharra's stomach flopped. He was royalty. "So why did you leave exactly?" She asked, having noted that he still hadn't answered her previous question.

"It was a pact my brother's and I had. Whoever did not become King would leave the lands. However, we were to return from time to time to see how things were going." He smiled at that.

"And your sister?"

"Friends with the Queen, plus she's in the hunting party." He replied. "What about you, have you always lived here?"

"_Whoa, how would she react to that?" Tiburi asked. Ashka merely smiled, rubbing a hand over Tiburi's head. _

"_Listen to de story," he repeated._

Thankfully, Sharra didn't have to reply. For at that moment, Memmai chose to make an entrance. "Hey Sharra, oh…who's this?" Mai asked, stopping when she saw the lion.

"Kieji," he filled in.

"Oh, well hi; I'm Memmai, Sharra's friend." She dipped her head in greeting, then turned her head back to Sharra. "Um, Sharra, I'm gonna go see Prince Katu, do you want to come?" She asked, looking at Kieji, and extending the invitation.

Sharra paused. She really didn't want to, but somehow she thought Kieji would. She waited for a moment, stalling while she thought. "Um well, actually I think I'll give Kieji a tour, that is, if you want one?" he smiled at that.

"Sounds like fun," he said.

Memmai smiled and started to walk off. Sharra waited a moment or two, and then called after her, "Oh and Memmai?" the lioness turned her head. "Don't call him Prince, just call him Katu…" Memmai frowned, shook her head and then continued to walk off.

"_Sharra showed him everything but de den. She told of de lands' history, and of some of de great kings dat had ruled over it. She avoided Pride rock like de plague, knowing most of de pride was gathered dere. And dose dat weren't, if she caught scent or sight of dem, she would take dem in a different direction." Ashka explained._

"_Did she tell him about her history?" Tiburi asked._

"_No, she didn't. Not for a long time at least. De tour took almost all day, and as it started to end, she led him back to de leopards den," _

Kieji hadn't objected to the tour, in fact he had liked it. However, he had only gone along with it because it was something to do. Otherwise he'd have kept traveling. He was a rogue, and this land was taken already. The fact that his question had never been answered sort of bugged him, and as they neared the place where they'd met, he decided to bring it up once more, only perhaps in a different way.

"Um, don't take this the wrong way, but are your parents white?" he asked.

Sharra bristled. She had been waiting for this, knowing it would get brought up. There was no way it wouldn't be. She let out a sigh, then stopped to look at him. "No, they're not. My mom is a sandy tan color and I have no idea what my father looks like, but I know he wasn't white. It's a genetic defect, as my mom called it." She sighed.

"Oh," he said, nodding.

"Look, um, I did grow up here." She looked out toward the pridelands, where the sun was just now starting to descend. "I don't like talking about it, because it's not a pleasant memory. Not many lions are open about my color. Many are very scornful of it actually. The whole pride made me into an outcast before I could even walk. When I was old enough, I had to sleep outside the den. Even my mother, who you would think would love me no matter what, hated me. I was what ruined her dreams, and because I was an outcast, she was treated somewhat like one too. I've been an outcast since birth, and it won't matter what I do, I'll always be one to them." She said, letting everything out without even realizing it.

Kieji had sat there, listening, nodding along. Now he sighed. "It's too bad that they had to be like that. I can tell there's more, but I won't push you for it. It especially seems odd, seeing as these lands, and the past kings seem so open and accepting. And yet you come along and they become closed. But that's how things work." He paused, and then backtracked. "And that's not meant in a bad way. I simply mean what's done is done,"

"I know, trust me, I know that." She looked up at him, suddenly realizing that he hadn't judged her. He hadn't even really seemed to notice that she was white when they first ran into each other. "You know, I think you're the first lion to have ever just accepted me right on the spot for what I am. Memmai was the first and only lioness, but I've never really been accepted on the spot by any lion." And in that instant, that one single moment, she felt a connection to Kieji.

There was no explanation, but she felt connected to him, almost attracted in some way. Sighing, she suddenly felt overwhelmed. Without even realizing it, she fell against him, her head burying itself into his mane as tears came from out of nowhere. She had cried a lot over the time she'd spent with Ashka, but most of those tears had been over Mako. Now they were over everything. And here she was, crying on some perfect strangers shoulder. Kieji simply rested his chin on her head, comforting her by purring.

_I see the sun_

_I see the stars_

_Each time…_

_I look into your eyes_

_You try to hide_

_Yet here you are_

_Let yourself let go_

_And see the sun_

_See the stars_

_And see yourself_

_For the first time…._

The song came from nowhere, but they were words Kieji had heard over and over. It was a soft tune his mother had always sung to them whenever they were sad. In fact, it was a song the pride had used to comfort one another. So now he used it with her. She stopped sobbing after a while and soon fell asleep leaning against him, listening to the song…

"Let yourself let go…" he said, then lowered his head more on hers and closed his eyes…

A/N: That song was just something I randomly came up with. But I like it anyway, it's just kinda softly sung, not real fast, and just like da da, da da. Anyway, sorry for the long wait, hope you like it!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Flowerkid, um, I have no idea where to put the accent in there….maybe I'm stupid, but I really can't see where an accent would be….so please point that out and I promise I'll fix it, but I can't see where to put the accent.

For those wondering, there's really no Sumayah in real life, she was just an add on to the plot. But what Autumn-crystal said is true; Mako does need to be taken down a notch in real life…lol. Soulbound, Sharra is never going to forgive Mako….in this story or in real life….and I'm really glad you like the story. And I love how you felt the emotion I've put into it, that really makes me feel good.  Nala5….where'd you go? I miss your reviews…. :'( and everyone else, here's the update!

Chapter 14

Sharra awoke to a soft feeling around her face. Slowly, she forced her eyes to open. They felt heavy, dry and almost irritated. It was odd, for she hadn't felt that in some time. Not since she'd left Ashka's tree anyway. She pulled her head up and held back a gasp. It then suddenly rushed back to her memory.

Kieji was still sleeping; his head draped over one of her paws. Carefully, she pulled herself away and stood there, watching him for a moment. He was a darker tan color, with beige coloring on his paws, underbelly, muzzle and around his eyes. His nose was dark brownish gray color, his mane a dark brown. His mane seemed to curl in some ways around the top, not too curly, yet wavy just the same.

She paused, remembering his eyes. They were peculiar. They were a mix between blue and green. It was almost as if they started out blue, but had green mixed and hidden somewhere within. It intrigued her. She sighed, wondering what she should do.

A chuckle sounded from somewhere behind her, and Sharra whirled to see what it was that was laughing at her. From out of the grasses popped Ashka, possessing the same skill for hiding as all the other shaman's before him had possessed. "So which one of the Kilimanjaro princes 'ave you found?" he asked.

Sharra was taken aback. "Wai-what? How do you kno-?"

"I know all de lions in de general area, shamans' talk to one anoder."

"Oh, well his name is Kieji."

"Ah! De shy one." Ashka said, smiling.

"Well, he didn't seem all that shy, well maybe a little…."

Ashka merely chuckled. "He is a rogue, he won't be staying long."

"I know, I showed him the pridelands yesterday."

"And you cried your heart to him, didn't you Sharra? Your eyes are puffy and dey tell me you 'ave been crying…"

Sharra sighed and looked away.

"Do not be ashamed for crying Sharra, it relieves de soul, and gives room for emotions. It is good dat you finally cried over more den just one ting. Do not be ashamed of it." Ashka said, taking her chin in his hand and holding it up to look at her.

"Yes Ashka…" she replied, smiling.

"Now, I shall leave, for Kieji is waking…."

Sharra turned toward the sleeping lion and then looked back. But Ashka had already gone.

"Hmm, is it morning already?" Kieji's groggy voice asked. Sharra turned back toward him.

"Yeah, it's morning." She replied.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she replied, even though she already knew what he had implied.

"You just seemed a little upset last night….I wanted to make sure you were ok…"

"Oh, yeah…" she paused, sighing. "I'm sorry, I just kinda lost it….sorry if I-"

"Don't worry about it, I understand."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I've felt the same way, well not the same way exactly. But I mean, when you feel to full of everything, it just overflows. I just happened to be the one here when it happened with you." Kieji explained.

Sharra thought about that for a moment, then smiled. "Well, thank you," she said. "For being so understanding. You have no idea how weird that is to me. You just accept me, and seem to understand everything." She paused, thinking.

"You are welcome, I'm glad to be of help." He smiled, and then dipped his head to her. "I must be going though, these lands are taken, and I would like to find ones of my own."

Sharra's stomach filled itself with knots. He started to walk away. She paused for a few milliseconds before something screamed in her head. Without even thinking, she stepped forward, "Kieji? Can I go with you?"

A/N: Yeah a lil short and cheesy, but the next chapter will feature even more cheese….sorry…lol. Things are starting to work out b/t the real Kieji and myself, so I'm happy, lol. If anyone wants the details, let me know! Lol and please review…I miss reviews….


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Memmai awoke with a start. Something had splashed water on her coat. But why was she anywhere near water anyway? Looking around, Memmai saw that she was on a rock, by the watering hole. And Prince Katu was beside her. Her memory failed her for a minute, what was she doing there?

Katu stirred faintly, then turned his head toward her. "Morning," he mumbled.

Memmai dipped her head to him, when it came back. They had sat on that rock watching the sun set. A slight breeze had made her cold, and she had already been sleepy, so she'd leaned against Katu. She must have fallen asleep and he'd stayed with her.

"Do you normally sleep outside?" Memmai asked, offering a smile.

"Naw, they're probably worried about me up at Pride Rock." Katu laughed. "So we should probably head back."

Memmai nodded and stood, then followed him. She wondered about Sharra, where she was, and if anything had happened with her and that lion she'd met...

_"So they both slept with a lion huh?" Tiburi asked, giggling along with the other cubs. They were still young, and didn't quite have a grasp on romance just yet. _

_Ashka, fully expecting this, merely smiled and rubbed a hand over Tiburi's head. "Yes dey did. And dey bode woke up disoriented. But dat disorientation was not all Sharra felt..."_

It was the boldest thing she'd ever done. Or at least it sure felt that way. It felt even bolder than facing Mako or her mother, or even Sumayah. She was asking a complete stranger to go with him on his travels. Almost immediately she regretted it. Her stomach plopped, especially at the look of complete surprise on his face.

She never should have asked, that much she knew right then. What did he want with some lioness who had cried on his shoulder for half the night, then fallen asleep on him, and he hardly knew her? And who would want a white lioness traveling with them anyway? She pushed that thought aside as quickly as it had come, Kieji had already proven that he didn't care that she was white.

"Ah Kieji, what brings you to de Pridelands heh?" this time it was Ashka who seemed to save Sharra.

Keiji's head turned toward the shaman and he gave the baboon an even more quizzical look. "Um, just passing through," he glanced in Sharra's direction. "How do you know my name?"

"I'm de prideland Shaman, and we shamans, we tend to talk about our baptized cubs." He smiled.

"Oh, I see," Kieji replied.

"Seeing as you are a rogue, you are looking for land, right?" Ashka asked.

Kieji nodded.

"Well, follow me, I may be able to help you wid dat." Kieji looked toward Sharra for a moment, then followed along behind Ashka.

_"Where were they going?" _

_"Tiburi..."_

_"I'm just asking," the cub whined._

_"Well some of us are trying to listen to the story..." another cub complained._

_Tiburi's ears drooped and he sighed. "Fine, I'll try and be more quiet..." _

_"Anyway," Ashka said, starting up again._

Kieji and Sharra followed along far enough behind Ashka so that they could talk, or so that was what Kieji figured. He started. "Why did you ask me that?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, unable to look him in the eye. "I've never really had a place to call home, and," she paused, trying to find the right words. None sounded right however, so she put it plainly, "This is going to sound really wierd, and please don't take it that way, but, I feel this connection to you. I can't explain it, it's like, you understand how I feel, even though you don't know me at all. I really don't know how else to put it...and I guess, also, I thought that maybe, if I were to tag along with you, that maybe I'd actually find a place that I could call home..."

"I see," still he didn't answer the question. Perhaps now he was taken aback by her honesty. "I don't know what it's like to never have had a place to call home, for the Kilimanjaro lands were mine, but after wandering a while, I know what it's like not to have a home, and it's miserable. For that reason, you can 'tag along' as you put it."

Sharra smiled. "Thank you," she said. Kieji smiled back and nodded.

"Now, dere are lands out behind my tree, dey have been a bit barren, but animals still go dere and graze. Dey also border bode de pridelands and de Kilimanjaro lands." Ashka paused, gauging Kieji's reaction.

"De two prides had been sharing dese lands for years, but I tink it's time dat dey become someone's own. Dere are rocks dat would serve as a den over dere," he pointed toward the leopard dens where Sharra and Memmai had slept. "And behind dem is a small pond dat could serve as a watering hole."

Keiji looked around, taking in the area with his eyes first. He then sniffed the air and then the ground. The scents told him that Ashka was right, the land was shared. Niether pride has marked it as thier own, but thier scents were inpaved in the ground. Kieji looked up at Sharra, and smiled. "You sure didn't have to tag along very far."

Sharra smiled, this land had almost served as the borderland between the two prides, but now it would serve as Kieji's land. She smiled. She liked this land, and she knew the territory fairly well.

"Make your marks Kieji, and stand atop your rock and roar, let de savannah hear you, and know dat dis land is now yours." Ashka instructed, smiling.

_"So they really took that land?" Tiburi asked._

_"Kieji did, yes. De pridelands and Kilimanjarolands were somewhat skeptical at first, but dey soon agreed widout problem. And it only took a few weeks before dere were lionesses around. Widin two months Kieji had himself a pride. Sharra took charge of de hunting party, what wid her moder's skills instilled in her. She had de position her moder had always dreamed of, lead huntress..."_

A/N: No this is not the end, don't panic. We still have at least one or two more chapters to go. And I had a little bit of writers block, but I think this chapter turned out ok, what do you think? Maybe a tad on the short side...but so was the last one...


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Ok, this may or may not be the last chapter, depends on how much I cover in it. If it isn't then the next one definitely will be. BTW, for those who care, the guy I like asked me to the movies last week, and we're going this coming Saturday. We're also going to a dance together, and my sources (friends who talk to him) tell me that he is planning on asking me out after he gets his license! (So that he can see me more often and not have to worry about parents driving us everywhere, b/c I'm an idiot and still don't have my license…) super happy dance

Chapter 16

Tail twitching ever so slightly, Sharra made her way across the savannah. Her paws barely touched the ground as she wove through the tall grasses. The pride had gorged on meat from a big kill for the past few days. Now it was time for another hunt. Her eyes ran through the grasses, locking on to the large animals. From where she was, she could not tell what they were, other than large dark shapes. But from her surveillance point earlier, she knew them to be wildebeest.

The party was scattered out, each located at different points around the wildebeest. Sharra moved closer, almost running across the land. She stopped and peered through once more, now she could see the wildebeest, and through their legs she could just barely make out one of the lionesses in her pride. An ear twitch signaled Sharra to one that was good, and she found it, then returned the twitch.

They circled around the herd, finding themselves about one hundred feet in front of the animal. Eyes scanned the savannah, finding the places in the grass where the other members of the party hid. Sharra and her other member gave a stiff nod to one another and then crept forward.

The plan was to head the animal off, get him cornered and attack him while the herd stampeded away. It was a tactic they'd achieved on their first hunt as a pride, and had kept ever since, seeing as it almost never failed.

Paw pads barely touched the ground as they crept ever forward, making hardly a sound. Ears pulled back, the two lionesses were poised and ready. Finally, they darted forward, rushing headlong toward the wildebeest.

The old buck's eyes widened and it reared, attempting to fight its attackers, not realizing that there were more than two. The herd, alarmed by the attack, took off immediately. The pounding of thousands of hooves drowned out the buck's cries as the pride downed him. A young lioness by the name of Meyla had the buck by its neck, delivering the fatale blow.

As the pounding of the herd's stampede slowly ceased, so did the buck's breathing. Finally Meyla lifted her head and sighed. "He put up a bit of a fight, didn't he?" She asked. The lionesses nodded, slowly climbing off of the large animal.

Sharra shook herself, then stood and roared, calling to Kieji and the rest of the pride. The pride was made up of about ten, five huntresses, four non huntresses, and Kieji.

The buck was too large to carry all the way back to the den, so the roar was to tell the rest of the pride that they'd have to come and get it, if they wanted to eat.

---

Memmai had gotten used to Sumayah and Misha by now. She fully understood some of the torture Sharra had went through having to live with them. Most of the time she avoided them, but hanging out with Katu was near impossible, for his father was showing him the ropes of being king more often than not. So, therefore, this left Memmai stuck with them for company.

She sometimes would go with her mother, learning about the pridelands and of her mother's troubles. She also gained more insight to Sharra's past through her mother. Though Uta hadn't paid much attention to the cubs, she still had noticed the goings on. Although there were many awkward silences between Uta and Memmai, it was slowly becoming easier. The more time the young lioness spent with her, the easier it became.

Now Memmai lay flat out on a rock near the watering hole. The sun was shining above her and warming her skin. She could hear some of the lionesses playing in the water, along with Ukando, Natari and Junga. Misha and Sumayah were somewhere nearby, Memmai could smell them. She was tired for some reason, and was pondering different things.

Even though she hadn't been able to spend much time with Katu, she was still becoming closer to him. There had been talk floating around that the prince would ask her to be his mate and take a place beside him as Queen. This worried Memmai, for she was mixed on the subject. She was attracted to Katu; sure. But she didn't want the burden of being Queen. Uta had not been able to help her at all, for her mother gave her the same advice Ashka had, "follow your heart."

---

Night had fallen once again in the border lands. Kieji's pride had gathered in the den for the night. Sharra slept closest to the outside, staring up at the sky. Sleep was far off, for her mind was racing. She knew she didn't have to sleep where she did, for this pride accepted her as she was. She was the lead huntress, and nearly considered Queen. Though it was not an actual title, she was treated almost as though she were. The pride looked up to her. It was an honor she often didn't know how to react to. She had never been that respected, and it seemed odd to her.

Slowly, quietly she stood and crept out. Her paws floated across the ground as she let them lead her to nowhere in particular. She wanted to get away for a little while. Her hunting skills turned on high as she moved across the savannah. The young lioness covered ground quickly, near flying across the ground without even running.

As she started to cross over the border leading to the pridelands she stopped, having thought she'd heard something. Ears perked forward she listened. A soft rustle sounded not far from her. Sharra lowered herself and crept forward. She crouched, rolled her shoulders and then pounced. As she came overtop the grasses, she gasped as she realized what she was about to hit.

But it was too late to do anything, her paws collided with the shoulders of another young lioness, and the two of them went tumbling head over heels a few feet before rolling to a stop within feet of each other. "Memmai," Sharra stated.

"Sharra, what're you doing here?" Memmai replied.

"Had the urge to go for a walk," Sharra said, shaking herself as she stood. She hadn't seen Memmai in months. Even though she could have, she had been busy. Now it felt like old times, even though they'd barely talked. "And what about you? Do you normally hang out around the borders at night?"

Memmai laughed. "No, I'm here for the same reason you are, had an urge to walk." Sharra shook her head.

"I see, so how've you been? It's been a while."

"Yeah, I've been good, Katu's been spending a lot of time with his Dad learning about becoming King….and there's been a lot of talk going around about him asking me to become his Queen…." Memmai said, sighing.

"Oh, well just follow your heart Memmai, that's all you can do."

Memmai suddenly whirled about, emitting a low menacing growl. "Just follow your heart!" She yelled. "Just follow your heart, that's all anyone says! I don't want to follow my heart! I-I want…" she sighed. "I don't know what my heart is saying so how am I supposed to be expected to follow it?"

A/N: Yes, cliffy, sorry…but the next chapter is typed and everything and going to be uploaded at the same time this one was, so no worries. And as for the above A/N if anyone wants the story to that, email me/leave it in your review. We are together now, and have been for 7 months. And I'm not going off of real life anymore, now the writer in me is kicking in, for anyone who cares. Or at least, not fully off of real life…lol


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"_What does she mean she doesn't want to follow her heart?" Tiburi asked. _

_"Tiburi," Ashka warned.  
"I know…listen to 'de' story. I was just wondering Ashka. And how much time has passed? Like, how long have Sharra and Kieji been living in those lands?"_

_Ashka sighed, rubbing a weathered hand over his face. "Only a few seasons little Tiburi. Now, can I get on with de story?"_

"I'm sorry Memmai; I guess I just didn't know what else to say…" Sharra said, feeling sheepish after Memmai's blow-up.

"No, it's ok. I just want some other advice, I guess."

"Well, do you want to become Queen?"

"No, I don't. I really like Katu though, he's so sweet and nice and cute. Oh but Sharra…how are you supposed to be the King's mate without assuming the throne?" Memmai asked, slumping down into a laying position. She leaned her head against Sharra's leg for support and let out a sigh.

Sharra thought for a moment, wondering how that could work. "The only thing I can think of is to tell him that you would be his mate, but only if you don't have to assume the throne. Just be honest with him Memmai. Maybe he'll be ok with it."

"You think so?" Memmai asked, looking up at her friend.

"Well, if he's as crazy about you as you are about him, I think he'll be fine with it."

Memmai smiled. "So, what about you and Kieji, anything ever happen there?"

Sharra bristled and turned toward her own pride's lands. "Why would anything happen there?" She asked a bit too quickly.

"Oh, well I just thought you were into him."

"No," Sharra stated matter-of-factly. "No, I'm not. He's the King of these lands, therefore my King, nothing more." She gave a gruff nod of her head to seal that fact and then turned back toward Memmai. "And I should probably be getting back, good luck with Katu." With that, Sharra stood and walked off.

Memmai let out a sigh. "She doesn't want to admit her feelings for him….why?"

"Because she's afraid she'll get hurt again," Memmai jumped and gasped and then growled at the baboon standing before her.

"Ashka….can't you come up with some way of making your presence known before you scare the living daylights out of me?"

The old baboon laughed. "Oh but dat would take de fun out of it."

_"So she liked Kieji? Then why did she get so mad about it?" Tiburi, once more the inquisitive one, questioned._

_"As stated in de story, she was afraid she would get hurt again."_

_"But you have to take chances, right?"_

_"Yes, Tiburi, but Sharra is different. You forget, she grew up in a harsh environment. She had her whole life turned upside down and ripped apart. Tings like dat don't sit well with anyone. It makes trust a hard ting to win. It also makes it hard for dose dat've experienced it to let go and learn to love again, to let someone else in. Sharra was afraid she would lose everything she had again if she admitted to herself dat she was attracted to Kieji. So acting as dough she weren't and becoming cold about it was her way of keeping tings de way dey were."_

Morning found Sharra outside the den, staring at the savannah, contemplating her meeting with Memmai. A few of the lionesses gave her funny looks as they passed, but Meyla was the only one who stopped. "Something wrong?" she asked, ears perked forward in interest.

Sharra looked up at her and smiled. "No, just thinking some things over." Meyla nodded and then went on. Sharra let out a sigh. "Just thinking things over," She repeated to herself.

"What kind of things?"

Sharra jumped at Kieji's voice and then stood. "Nothing important," she replied.

The king nodded. "Anything to do with your whereabouts last night, perhaps?" She gave him a quizzical look and he merely smiled. "You weren't the only one who couldn't sleep. I gorged a bit too much. I just didn't leave the den."

"Oh, sorry. I needed to go for a walk, and ended up patrolling the borders a bit." She decided to tell the truth, or part of it, anyway. The king nodded and then left Sharra to go to the watering hole.

Sharra watched him for a little and then sighed. Since her arrival she had started trying to distance herself from Kieji. She should have known him better than the other lionesses, but she didn't. In fact, she really didn't know him any better than she had upon their first meeting. This of course was on purpose, for Sharra knew she was attracted to him.

She did not want to be in a relationship. Not again. She was over Mako, and had been, but she still remembered the pain he'd caused her. Now she had a home, a pride she could almost call her own. Getting in a relationship could jeopardize all of that, and there was no way she was going to let it happen. Even if it meant killing herself by keeping her distance.

---

There was a difference in the air, Memmai could feel it. She hadn't seen Katu all day long, even though the King was sleeping peacefully under the shade trees. Something was up, for Sumayah seemed far too down. She had been shooting glares in Memmai's direction since morning. What exactly was going on, Memmai was unsure, but it made her tense.

Uta was of little help. "I don't know what you're talking about dear, go take a swim, maybe it'll calm your nerves." Memmai sighed. No, swimming wouldn't help her either. She paced a second or two and then left Uta to go back up to the den. But Misha and Sumayah were there, and Memmai didn't feel like being stared at. So she went back to lie beside Uta, who was sunning herself.

"Did you go for a swim?" Uta asked, even though she knew her daughter hadn't.

"No, that isn't going to help."

"Well how do you know?"

"Hunting might, maybe I'll go hunting." Memmai said, ignoring her mother's comment.

"Fish sound good," Uta continued.

"The hunting party won't be leaving for a few more days, it won't hurt if I just catch something small,"

"Getting your paws wet and tasting that fresh, odd taste."

"Yes, I think I'll go hunting." Memmai decided, having not heard a word her mother had just said.

Realizing this, Uta lifted her head. "Memmai, dear, will you get me a fish before you go? I can't catch them anymore; my reflexes just aren't fast enough."

Memmai, now standing, turned toward her mother. "Um, I guess so."

"Thank you," She smiled and then rested her head again.

Leaving the sunny area, Memmai pondered a bit. Why was her mother pushing so hard for her to go to the watering hole? It wasn't hot, she wasn't overheated, so what was it? She knew it had to be something. And she was also positive her mom could care less about getting a fish, for she had thought her mom had said she didn't like fish all that much.

_Right on cue, Tiburi interrupted again. "What was at the watering hole?" _

_Ashka sighed. "I think dat's enough for one day, the sun is starting to set, and I promised your parents you would all be home before den."_

_"Awww!" everyone whined._

_"Come now, I promise I will finish de story tomorrow. Out with you now, come on." Ashka said, gesturing the cubs toward the exiting end of the tree. _

_As they left, he could hear some mumbling, "This is all your fault Tiburi."_

_"Yeah, why'd you have to go and keep asking questions?"_

_"He would have continued the story…"_

_Ashka laughed. "It is good dat Tiburi had questions, little ones. And I would have had to quit regardless of wheder Tiburi interrupted or not. Be glad I stopped now instead of later."_

A/N: Cliffeh again….sorry…ran out of ideas for how to put together the next part….I will post again soon…and yes I actually mean it….I have a friend who I'll give permission to pester me if I don't ok?


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_The sun had just barely risen when the little cubs came tumbling into Ashka's tree. The lioness who'd been assigned to take them to the tree sighed as she lifted the last one into the tree. "I'm sorry Ashka, we couldn't get them to stop chattering about it until one of us agreed to take them."_

_Ashka smiled and put a gentle hand on the lioness's forehead. "It's ok; I expected dem early, what wid how dey regretted leaving yesterday." The lioness nodded and then left the cubs in the old baboon's care. Turning to face them, Ashka smiled at all the eager faces before him. _

_"What was at the watering hole?" a few cubs chimed in unison, Tiburi among them._

Memmai had never seen the watering hole look so beautiful. Every flower she'd ever seen on the savannah was strung across the plentiful rocks surrounding the area. Vines had been attached to the few surrounding trees and now formed a canopy, giving shade and a romantic aspect to the normally dry and plain place. Mangos and flowers had been mixed to create paint and the rocks were painted with gorgeous blues and reds and purples all blended together in a colorful array of artistic talent.

Standing there, completely awestruck, Memmai didn't hear the soft clearing of the throat behind her. When that didn't work, Katu moved a step forward and said, "So, do you like it?"

"_Ashka is this going to turn into a mushy love story?" one of the male cubs asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the very idea. _

_The baboon laughed. "Oh but every good story has some form of love in it Kyda, I promise not to make it too mushy."_

"Like it? I love it," Memmai replied, looking around.

Katu smiled. "I'm glad, come with me." He nuzzled her shoulder and then walked over to where the vines came together. Pulling them apart with a paw, he gestured her inside. She followed and went in, only to find more of a surprise.

On a rock sat slices of a zebra's hindquarters. On the rock outcroppings inside this canopy were paintings that resembled a sunset, reds and oranges and pinks. Tears gathered in the corners of Memmai's eyes. Zebra was her favorite, and a rare delicacy for the animal was one of the hardest to catch and bring down.

She turned toward Katu, who stood behind her, smiling. "Your Mom said you liked zebra."

"You did all this for me?" Memmai asked. Katu nodded. "And you caught that thing all by yourself?"

Sticking his chest out, Katu gave an impersonation of his father, "A King must know how to hunt as well as his hunting party and be able to bring down anything they can," he laughed as he ended, which in turn made Memmai laugh. Turning serious, Katu's eyes latched onto hers and he said, "We met here, and it may not have been all that special then, but I wanted it to be a special place. I-"he paused, looking around for a moment, trying to gather the right words. "I love you Memmai,"

If she hadn't been awestruck before, she was now. She felt a screaming in her head, but the words refused to make it to her mouth.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he paused, then finished, "as my queen."

Reality crashed back into Memmai's head and she gulped. She closed her eyes and sighed, looking back up at him after a long moment. _Just be honest with him Memmai, tell him you'll be his mate, but that you don't want to assume the throne. _ They weren't Sharra's exact words, but they were close. She ran them over her mind a few times before finally forming a reply.

"I-I love you too Katu, more than I think I've ever loved anyone, but," and she looked away from him. She looked around the secluded canopy, at the zebra, the colored rocks, everything but him. "I want to be your mate, but I'm not Queen material, and I don't want to be a Queen." She looked back up at him, meeting his eyes and waiting.

_"I thought you said you weren't going to make it real mushy?" Kyda groaned, pretending to gag._

_"Oh I don't know what's worse, Tiburi asking a thousand questions or you being grossed out over something that'll happen to you." Ashka laughed._

_"Nuh-uh, I won't do anything like that….that's gross!" Kyda said, sticking his chest out and giving a stiff nod._

_"We'll see little one, we'll see."_

She wasn't sure how she ended up there, but somehow Sharra found herself at the base of Ashka's tree. She had been walking around in a haze for the better part of the day, and now that night had fallen, she found herself not knowing where the day had gone. Nor did she know when she'd crossed the borders.

She didn't make her presence known, not yet. She wasn't sure was going to stay, even though she was sure Ashka would know she was there and would not let her leave. He had an uncanny way of finding her when she needed him most. But as far as she was concerned, she did not need him anymore. She did not have a problem, so why was she here?

As always Ashka popped up just as she went to take a step towards home. "I knew I'd be seeing you soon,"

"Why?" Sharra questioned.

"A shaman always knows." Ashka said, "Come, let's have a talk." He gestured toward his tree, but Sharra stood firm.

"I didn't mean to come here Ashka, I just kinda found myself here."

"And you tink dat was by accident?" Ashka asked. "On de contrary my friend, you needed to come here and you know it."

Sharra smiled. "No, Ashka, I _tink_ I'm doing just fine now, so if you'll excuse me," and she started homeward once again.

"You're not doing yourself any favors by being miserable Sharra," Ashka called after her. "Keep dat in mind de next time he talks to you."

---

The kingdom was humming the next day. Everyone was excited about Katu and Memmai. As predicted, Katu did understand, and had little problem with Memmai not wanting to become queen. However, the pride was not as happy, for this meant only one thing. Sumayah would take a place beside her brother and rule with him.

Only the Queen herself was happy that her daughter would have a chance. Perhaps it was because mother and daughter were so alike. Either way, the pride only hoped that Katu would have the majority say in things, as the King did now. And even though Memmai had made it clear she did not want the throne, seeing as Katu was the king, it was made clear to Memmai that at any time she had the right to change her mind.

Sumayah was more than happy to assume the throne, and therefore had changed her tune about Memmai. She even went so far as to be nice to her, and act buddy-buddy with her. "Oh Memmai, we're going to be sisters, isn't it great?" she'd say. Or something like, "You look so great today Memmai, tell me what your secret is?" her voice was laced with so much sugar it made Memmai sick.

The ceremony was planned for the next day and Memmai was having issues. Now that she was to become Katu's mate, she had lionesses following her around everywhere. It made it very hard to even think of being able to sneak away to tell Sharra, let alone invite her.

When she was alone with Uta, she confessed her troubles and the lioness sighed. "Go, I'll cover for you; you need your best friend." Memmai smiled and then rubbed her head underneath her mother's chin.

"Thanks Mom," she said, smiling and then taking off.

_"So that's how Memmai and Katu ended up getting married?" Tiburi finally asked, not being able to contain himself any longer. _

_"Yes Tiburi, dat's what happened." _

_"But what about Sharra, what happened with her?"_

_"Now Tiburi, did you really tink I was going to end de story dere? Dis story is still about Sharra, and derefore I will continue, if you don't mind, dat is?"_


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Sorry for the wait…lost inspiration for a bit again…that and school kinda caught me in it's evil clutches….lol

Chapter 19

The pride would be well fed for a few days, which made it easy for Sharra to be anti-social. She did little more than sleep in the shade or pace the borders. More than one time she'd realized she was headed toward Ashka's tree again and had turned and headed the other way.

For a day or so she didn't return to the den, unable to go to Ashka's tree, yet unable to face Keiji, she roamed the land aimlessly. Every time she passed the pride land's border she stopped, wondering if she would see Memmai. She felt bad for snapping, but at the same time continued telling herself she wasn't attracted to Keiji.

Laying on a fallen branch in the shady acacia trees, she felt somewhat secluded and completely alone. In a way, it gave her restless mind some peace.

"In another day or so there will be a need for another hunt," Kieji's voice surprised her.

Looking up, Sharra nodded to show she'd heard him.

"So, do you plan on coming back to the den between now and then?"

"Of course, I just needed some time to think," Sharra said, getting up and starting to walk off.

"What do you keep thinking about?" Keiji inquired.

Sharra bristled, stopping mid-step. "What? Am I not allowed to think without you knowing every thought? Am I not allowed to stay away from the den if I choose to? Why are you suddenly so interested in everything I do?" She snapped turning and growling at the object of her thoughts. Immediately she felt humiliated. She knew there was no reason for her to have snapped in that way.

"_That was kinda mean, wasn't it Ashka?" Tiburi asked, ears tipped forward in curiosity. _

_Ashka didn't reply, instead he merely smiled and continued the story. He knew full well that Tiburi would not stop questioning no matter what, so he may as well go on with the story._

"You were the one who wanted to come here with me Sharra, I'm merely curious as to why if all you're going to do is just catch food when it needs caught and walk around like a zombie the rest of the time. And in case you forgot, I'm the king; it's my job to be 'interested' in my pride. _You_ are part of my pride Sharra, you helped start it. And I intend to have you included, whatever it takes," He replied, nodding to her and then walking off.

Sharra sighed, lowering her shoulders and holding back tears that were trying to burst forward. "Oh, and by the way, you should stop by the den sometime soon, there's a pressing matter there I see fit for you to attend," with that, Keiji continued on his way.

_The cubs all tilted their heads at this. "What?" Tiburi asked, one ear twitching slightly. _

_Ashka sighed. "It was de King's way of rousing Sharra's curiosity. He knew by not telling her exactly why he wanted her dere, she would be more apt to come."_

_The cubs blinked a few times, and then waited for the story to continue so that their confusion would end…_

She debated it. She lay in that spot for as long as she could, debating. What could be so pressing of a matter that the lead huntress' presence was needed? Was it a pride thing? Were one of the pride-members in trouble? Was there an announcement to be made that all the pride needed to hear? Questions ran unanswered through her mind like gunfire.

Finally, unable to quell her curiosity anymore, Sharra rose to her feet and padded off towards the den. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, just as it almost always did. She wouldn't admit to it, however. No, she wasn't going because Keiji had asked. She wasn't going because he had wanted her to. No, she was going because it could be something urgent. It could involve one of the pride-members. That was why she was going. Or so she told herself. Even though if it was urgent she knew Keiji wouldn't have asked, he would have told her and not tried to rouse her curiosity. She ignored this fact.

What annoyed her was that even though they hadn't had that much contact, he'd somehow known that she'd come if he roused her curiosity. How had he known that? She couldn't turn back now; she was close to the den anyway. Plus, her curiosity had to be satisfied, else she would go insane.

As Sharra padded toward the den she caught a familiar scent and a smile spread wide across her face. "Urgent my butt!" she yelled, bursting into a run and pouncing up into the den. She trotted into the small cave and her eyes searched for what she had scented moments before. She saw a few lionesses, Keiji, but no sign of what she'd bursted into the den for.

Then, from out of nowhere, something flew into her side, knocking the wind from her and toppling her over. Sharra turned her face upwards and looked into the smiling face of her friend, Memmai. "Mai!" she yelped. A few laughs sounded from Keiji and the other lionesses.

Memmai let her friend up and then nuzzled under Sharra's chin. A soft purr erupted from Sharra's throat as she nuzzled Mai back. "Oh Sharra I've so much to tell you!"

They walked back out, leaving the lionesses and Keiji. Sighing, Sharra turned. "I'm so glad you came here, but there's got to be a reason for it, right?"

Memmai frowned, "I can't believe you!" she mocked, nudging Sharra in the shoulder. "I don't need a reason to come visit you, but…"

"Yeah, but, exactly! So spill, what is it?"

"It just so happens that I do have a reason," she took in a breath. "Katu asked me to marry him…" Memmai's smile spread from ear to ear.

Sharra laughed and stopped mid-step. "Oh Mai, I'm so happy for you!" She licked her friend's cheek.

"And the ceremony's tomorrow…" Memmai added.

"What?"

Mai giggled. "I couldn't get away….for some odd reason all the lionesses think that just cause I'm gonna marry him means I can't be alone anymore. So I had trouble getting away…"

Sharra sighed. "You're so lucky I love ya as much as I do Mai…"

Memmai laughed. "And you're so lucky I already made sure Keiji didn't mind if you came. In fact, I invited your whole pride. So you'd better be there tomorrow morning!" She nudged Sharra.

Sharra's smile lessened slightly. The whole pride? That meant Keiji as well. Her stomach tightened. "Sharra?" Memmai asked.

"I'll be there, of course! You don't have to worry about anything Mai; I'll have a front row view!" She smiled a little more, trying to make it look as though there was nothing wrong.

Memmai knew otherwise, but didn't push it. Not yet. "See ya tomorrow then, I've been gone all day though, so I should probably get back."

"Yeah…see ya tomorrow!" Sharra called as Memmai turned tail and headed back toward the pridelands. "See you tomorrow…" she repeated softly to herself, turning to look toward the den, almost dreading returning…


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: No, I'm not going to abandon this story. I just have been finding less and less time to write and it's harder to find inspiration….I've been stressed out over stupid college stuff…which for some reason is not helping me write…it's giving me writer's block. Now, enough excuses though, b/c I know you all would rather read the story anyway, and not listen to my lame excuses. So here ya go, hope you like it!!

Chapter 20

"_So what happened then? Did Sharra go back to the den?" Tiburi asked, cutting into the silence with a question. _

"_Yes, little Tiburi, she went back to de den." Ashka said, ruffling the small tuft of fur on the cub's head._

She knew she couldn't avoid him once back in the den. Every fiber of her being wanted to crawl in the corner and sleep and ignore everyone around her. But she couldn't and she knew it. Knowing she wouldn't be able to wait for him to say something, she stopped in front of him. "So what time are we leaving tomorrow?"

Keiji smiled. "When we are summoned," he replied.

It took a minute or so for Sharra to realize what he was talking about. She sighed and nodded, remembering finally how it all worked. The great kings sent winds filled with dandelion petals and acacia leaves to all the animals as an invitation. When the winds swept over them, that's when they were to leave.

Sharra awoke early, earlier than she'd wanted to. It was still very dark outside, and the young lioness knew the sun was not going to rise anytime soon. Her body refused to allow her the relief of falling asleep though, so Sharra rose to her feet and softly padded out of the cave.

She sat on the edge of the small rocky outcropping they called home. It reminded her of Pride Rock, and the countless times she'd sat on the edge, pondering all that had happened to her. Now she sat, head titled upwards, watching the stars above her. She smiled slightly.

An hour passed and Sharra barely noticed, too lost in her own thoughts. The winds were beginning to pick up, meaning that her pride would be summoned soon. Turning back toward the den, Sharra's ears pricked forward, listening for any sounds inside the den. All was silent, meaning the pride was still sound asleep.

"I'm sorry Keiji…" she murmured, sighing. Silently she descended the rocks and then let her feet start carrying her toward the pridelands. She knew it was stupid, and that she was supposed to go with her pride, but she couldn't help it. There was something about it that ignited her flight instinct.

She'd only made it as far as the border when she heard a twig snap. Ear's flicking in that direction she stopped. Letting out a small sigh, figuring she'd been busted, she turned and started to say, "I'm sorry I just…" but the lion who'd snapped the twig was not Keiji or any other member of her pride.

"Sharra…" His mane was a bit disheveled, his coat a bit dirty, but it was him, no doubt. Mako stood only feet from her, eyes pleading.

The hair along her back and neck stood on end and her ears flattened against her skull. A low growl emitted from her throat as Sharra retorted "What do you want?"

"Could you just hear me out?" He asked, those brown eyes softening as he dared a step closer. Sharra bristled.

"Hear you out? Hear you out on what?" She growled.

"What I did was wrong Sharra, but I've paid for my mistake. Every day I wish I could go back. But I can't, you and I know that." He took another step. "Please,

Sharra, you're my best friend,"

"No, I'm not,"

"Sharra, I love you, please just listen to me. I want to be in your life again, I want to be yours, to start a pride with you. One that won't judge you or anything," Mako near begged, taking a step closer to her after each sentence. Soon he was crowding her and her stomach jumped, her shoulders tensed up and she felt almost sick. Sharra couldn't get words to form in her mouth. He was way too close and the stench coming from him made her feel dizzy.

"She'll never be yours you drunken mongrel rogue. And she's found a pride that won't judge her, a family who's come to see her as a queen figure." Sharra didn't think she'd ever be so happy to hear Kieji's voice.

Mako turned, his shoulder touching against hers. He laughed, showing he was definitely out of sorts. "What? With a rogue prince like you?" He snorted. "That's a laugh. Get out of here, we grew up together. Sharra would rather be with me than you any day," he turned, eyes roving over Sharra.

He took a step closer, his paw near touching hers. "Back o—"Sharra didn't get to finish before Kieji had Mako pinned, emitting a guttural growl so loud it was near deafening.

"Listen punk; get off my turf before I rip you to shreds. And if I ever catch you on my lands or anywhere near Sharra again, your ass is mine." He smacked the other lion across the face and then nipped his shoulder. Mako scrambled to his feet and then turned to glare at Kieji.

"Who do you think you are?" Mako growled. He launched himself at Kieji and within seconds a battle had begun.

Sharra stood helplessly at the sidelines, watching as the two grappled, roaring and growling while goring each other. Minutes seemed to pass like hours and Sharra couldn't believe what was happening.

Teeth and claws seemed to be everywhere; she'd never seen such a sight. After what seemed like forever, Kieji gave a loud roar and slammed Mako into the ground with enough force Sharra felt the ground shake slightly beneath her paws.

Blood dripped down the side of his cheek and his eyes were now a deep green, his crimson-stained teeth bared in his enemies face. "I am the King of these lands, and if I ever catch you here again, or anywhere near Sharra, it'll be the last thing you ever do, I promise you that," He rammed his weight against Mako again and then let him up.

The lion rose and slowly began to limp off. Kieji nipped his shoulder and pestered him until Mako began running, despite the obvious pain it caused.

Kieji let out a long sigh and then turned toward Sharra. "You ok?" He asked, breathing somewhat heavy. A few scratches inhabited his shoulders and the blood on his cheek was starting to clot.

Sharra felt tears gather in her eyes as her emotions began to overflow. A few slid down her cheeks and then she let it all out in a sharp gasp as she pushed her head up underneath his chin, rubbing against him as she let her tears fall. Kieji bristled at first, and then let out a small sigh and lowered his head to rest it against hers.

"You're a part of my pride Sharra, but you're much more than that, you're the queen of this pride, whether you realize it or not," he licked the top of her head and then rested his head on top of hers again.

A/N: Nope, it's not the end of the story, but it is the end of this long overdue update….lol. We still have Memmai's wedding to cover! And of course, since everyone's been asking me to hurry it up already, we have to find out what's going to happen between Sharra and Kieji now!! ;)


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Ok…so it's been over a year since I've updated this story…I can't believe I let it go on that long…I'm so sorry to everyon

A/N: Ok…so it's been over a year since I've updated this story…I can't believe I let it go on that long…I'm so sorry to everyone…and if anyone is actually reading this, I hope you can forgive me. I did not forget about the story entirely. I tried writing this chapter a few times and was never happy with the outcome…

I've left you all with a cliffy for so long…I feel horrible. Ugh…anyway, enough of my apologies…I'll let the chapter(s) make up for it.

Chapter 21

The winds swirled around them for a few moments as they sat in the still near darkness. Sharra felt overwhelmed and scared. She couldn't believe what Kieji had done for her. Tears fell down her cheeks in tiny rivers and just seemed to keep flowing. She had no way of stopping them, and wasn't entirely sure she wanted to.

"We will need to talk, but later perhaps. Memmai will be waiting for you." Kieji said, lifting his head from hers. Sharra pulled back, looking at him. He turned, looking away from her and she followed his gaze.

In the distance was the pride, slowly making their way toward Sharra and Kieji. Sharra lifted a paw to her face and wiped it, hoping to make herself look at least a little better. Kieji turned and licked her cheeks, trying to help some. Tingles ran all the way down Sharra's body as he did this and she looked up at him, a small smile forming on her face.

A strong wind pushed against her and Kieji, telling them both that it was time to move. It urged their pride members forward as well, so that they reached the two all the faster. Sunlight was beginning to make it's appearance, spreading rays across the land yet still cloaking certain parts in darkness.

Sharra stood, ready to face the day and to see her best friend marry. It was time to let go and to move on. As the pride reached them, Sharra and Kieji took their places at the front and led the way toward the pride lands.

"_Wow, that's interesting. So when are they gonna talk, huh Ashka?" Tiburi questioned._

"_You will see, little one, calm down." Ashka said, smiling once more at the cubs curiosity. "Sharra and her pride made their way toward pride rock, Sharra remembering her promise to Memmai to have a front row seat. She excused herself to go between and around all the animals that had already gathered and any who paused long enough to ask, she told them that Memmai wanted her to be up front." _

As Sharra and her pride found their places, it was definite that the ceremony was going to start soon. There was a part of Sharra that wanted to go see her friend, yet another part that wanted to stay with her pride. She looked from Kieji to the den, thinking. She did not really want to go up there, she had made her peace though, so what did it matter? It wasn't as though they could tell her to leave, not on the day of Katu and Memmai's wedding. Memmai wouldn't allow it.

She felt a soft nudge from beside her and turned. "Go, she might need you." Kieji said simply, smiling. Sharra returned the smile and then stood and began walking toward the steps. She climbed them easily, remember how careful she used to be when she was a cub.

With each step memories flooded her mind, and even though they were bad, she couldn't help but find herself smiling. Even though Memmai didn't want to be queen, she would not let Katu make the same mistakes as his family before him. She would make sure that no one was an outcast in her pride and that history would not repeat itself. This made Sharra feel happy, knowing that no cub would have to go through what she did.

As she reached the top, she looked around at the lions and lionesses gathered. Ashka was standing with the former Queen and King, talking. Sumayah and Misha, as always, were together near a corner of the den. Katu was sitting out on the edge, not close enough for anyone to see him, but just sitting, staring at the end of the ledge where he would be married only minutes from then.

Sharra frowned, where was Memmai? She needn't have worried, for though she hadn't seen her friend, Memmai had seen her. "Sharra!" the lioness exclaimed, rushing over to her and bumping heads with her. "I was hoping you'd come up here."

"I thought you might need me," Sharra replied, smiling. Memmai laughed.

"Well, maybe a little."

Just then, Uta walked up, a smile on her lips. "Sharra," She said, dipping her head. Sharra dipped her head in return. "Times will be different," she said, a frown crossing her muzzle as she remembered the past.

Sharra nodded. "I hope so," was all she said. She then turned back to Memmai. "You will be great," she said. Sharra then looked toward Sumayah and Misha. "Mai, you can't let her rule…not even a little. She will make it so that the past can return."

Memmai looked up at her friend. She sighed. "I know, but we'll talk later ok?" she said. Sharra nodded, for Ashka had begun to beckon Memmai and Katu forward. It was time. Sharra nuzzled her friend's cheek and then made her way back down off of Pride rock to take a seat beside Kieji.

Ashka appeared at the top of Pride rock just as Sharra got settled in. He looked at all the animals surrounding him and a smile split across his face. "Today," he began, "We are gadered to witness de marriage of two lions, one of whom will take his place today as your King." A warm applause of sounds came from the animals. Sharra and her pride roared theirs. "De oder is close to my heart, for I raised her from a cub and am very happy to see her marry such a fine young prince. Now, wid de kings as dier witness, I present to you Prince Katu and his fiancée Memmai." With that, Ashka stepped aside and let the two take his place.

All at once the savannah was alive with noise. The monkeys yelled, screeching at the top of their lungs. The zebra's whinnied, rising on their hind feet and then slamming down, stomping the ground. Trumpets from the elephants were deafening as they raised their trunks in salute to the new King. Sharra and her pride made their roars heard as well, though not standing as they did so. All lay, out of respect, but also in recognition that it was not their new king they were congratulating.

Soon the noise quieted and Katu and Memmai looked down amongst their subjects. The sun was now high in they sky and shining with more brightness than any other day. Leaves and petals of different flowers swirled around the two lions as the kings made their presence known. Ashka stood in front of Memmai and Katu now, a hand on each of their foreheads. "Let it be known to de Great Kings and to all you who have come to watch dis ceremony dat dese two will be great rulers, dat dey will love each other fully and will rule wid gentle hearts and clear minds." Slowly he turned around to face the audience before him.

"Your new King and his Mate, King Katu and Memmai!" Ashka shouted. Now instead of the audience, it was the pride that roared. Memmai and Katu were the first, theirs being the loudest, followed by the pride. The savannah echoed with the roars of the pride as it slowly died down. The animals joined in as the pride's roars ended and they began to all yell their congratulations. Sharra, knowing the actual ceremony was over, again made her way up to the top of Pride Rock.

She was almost immediately tackled by Memmai. They rolled a few times and then stood up. Memmai had a huge smile on her face. "I'm so happy!" She near squealed. Sharra smiled.

"And I am happy for you," she replied. Memmai turned toward her friend.

"Sharra, you're right though. I want to rule, but I can't do it alone." Sharra cocked her head to one side.

"What do you mean? Katu will be with you."

"No, Sharra. I know that, but Katu is my mate now, and I don't' have you. I don't have a friend I can count on. I've made friends with Junga and Ukando, but they'll be leaving soon to find prides of their own. And once I make it known that I want the throne, Sumayah will have nothing to do with me, and she'll make sure Misha doesn't either." Memmai sighed. "I need you Sharra, I need my best friend."

Sharra looked at her friend and sighed. She didn't know what to do. She knew Mai needed her, but she also did not want to be in the pride lands. She had vowed never to live there again, and her lands were too far of a walk to be able to visit Memmai every day. She turned to look at where her pride had gathered. Some were talking with members of the pridelands, others were waiting patiently for them to be able to leave. What was she supposed to do? And then there was Kieji. Sharra sighed and turned toward her friend.

"I can't stay here Mai, you know that." She finally said. She thought a few more minutes and then said, "What if I stayed for a few moons, until you have your bearings and feel confident enough that you don't need me every day?" Memmai's face split into a smile.

"Oh really Sharra? Would you?"

"Only for a few moons though," Sharra emphasized. Memmai nodded.

"Oh thank you Sharra! You have no idea what this means to me!" With that she bounded off to go tell Katu and her mother. Sharra watched and let out a small sigh.

Now she just had to tell Kieji….

"_So Sharra was really going to stay in the pridelands? But she said she never wanted to go back!" Tiburi burst in. _

"_I know Tiburi, but friendship is a funny ting. It makes you do tings you don't always want to do, but you want to do dem for your friend. Sharra knew Memmai needed her, and she wanted to be dere for her friend." Ashka explained._

"_Oh, well that was really nice of her," a murmur of aggreenment spread through the cubs._

"_Yes, indeed it was," Ashka said, smiling as he thought a moment before continuing the story._

A/N: so this time I will keep my promise and I will be finishing this story. I am taking the month of May off of work and off school so I will have plenty of time to actually write. If you do not see a chapter in the next week or so, don't get panicky and please don't' leave me. I do plan on finishing this story and letting everyone know what happens with Sharra and Kieji. I actually came up with some new ideas over this year and half so I have something to work off of. I hope that you forgive me and that you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one, even if you have to wait 3 weeks for it…Until then, ttfn.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Kieji was sitting near the steps, letting the wind blow through his mane as he watched the animals around him celebrate.

Sharra sighed. She needed to tell him, but how did she go about it? She sighed and walked over to him. "Kieji?" she began.

He turned. A small smile formed on his lips. Sharra was tempted to return the smile, but held back. "Memmai decided to become Queen." She started, unsure of how to tell him, and deciding to start with a little small talk first. She turned her eyes upward toward him. He nodded his head.

"That's good, I've heard a few whispers that the princess would not be that great of a Queen," he whispered, leaning toward her. The closeness of him made her near sick with wanting to go with him.

"No," Sharra shook her head. "No, she would not be, whether she thinks so or not." The young lioness was fighting tears as she lifted her head skyward. "Kieji," she said, trying to keep her emotions in check. He turned to look at her. His ears tipped backward in concern.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, voicing the concern. Sharra nodded.

"Memmai needs me Kieji….I-I told her I'd stay here for a few moons til she gets her bearings on being a Queen." She blurted out, still trying not to cry. Kieji leaned back, staring at Sharra, shock incripted on his face. "It would only be for a few moons," Sharra started rambling, "and then I'll be back, I don't' want to stay any longer than that, just a few moons."

"You're sure about this?" Kieji asked. Sharra nodded her reply. "I see," he turned his head away. He nodded, "Well, we'll look forward to your return then," he said, turning his back toward her. He stood and let out a soft roar for his pride.

Sharra felt her world collapse in front of her as he gathered the pride and began walking away. They descended the steps and began walking off into the savannah. A tear slipped past and Sharra ran to the tip of Pride Rock and watched as they slowly disappeared in the tall grasses.

Her heart felt like it was breaking with every step further they got. A strong pull engulfed her and every fiber of her being wanted to follow after them. "You're doing de right ting," Ashka's voice beside her caused her to jump and she had to grip the rock with her claws to prevent herself from falling.

Once she was settled again she replied, "Then why does it hurt so much?" She was staring out toward her pride. Ashka laid a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

"Because you love him," Sharra turned toward her friend. "You've hidden it from youself, tried to deny it, but you love him Sharra. You love dat land and you love dat pride. It's what you wanted when you first asked him to let you go wid him. Sharra, you 'ave found a home." Ashka continued. "Now it hurts because even dough you're doing de right ting, your heart is wid dem, and dat will keep you from getting comfortable here and will guarantee dat you will return."

Sharra nodded and smiled slightly. "Thank you Ashka," she gave him a quick hug before going to find Memmai…

In the savannah, Kieji stopped, letting his pride go ahead of him. He turned back toward Pride rock. He would miss her, he admitted to himself. He sighed and then turned and walked on behind his pride..

--

_A soft roar sounded from beneath the tree, signaling that the cubs were to go home now. All of them whined and refused to move. The lioness climbed the tree and sighed. "I'm sorry little ones, but it's time to go back."_

_"But Ashka's not done with the story!" Tiburi complained loudly. _

_The lioness laughed. "Ashka will still be here tomorrow to tell you all the rest. Now come on, before we all get in trouble with all your parents." She began herding them toward the edge of the tree._

_"Promise you'll tell us the rest tomorrow Ashka?" Tiburi asked. The old baboon laughed._

_"Of course Tiburi." _

_--_

_Ashka sighed as the last of them was escorted out of the tree and on their way home. He looked off in the direction of Sharra's pride and shook his head. So much had happened in her life, and now it was a story to tell young cubs. Sharra hadn't minded though, even adding to the story herself. He sighed and then began making his tree ready for him to sleep for the night._

_Morning came quickly and within minutes it seemed Ashka's tree was once again filled with cubs all asking questions and wanting him to start the story again. He quieted them down and then settled down, taking a deep breath and then continuing…_

Sumayah was outraged when Memmai and Katu made the announcement that Memmai had changed her mind. "She can't do that!" she yelled. "She told everyone she had no desire to be Queen!"

Ryasen turned toward his daughter, "Sumayah enough," he said.

"No! It's not fair, first you tell _him_ that he can be king even before he found _her_ and then she decides she won't be queen…and now all of the sudden she wants to be? I'm the princess, I should get a say in the ruling of these lands!" By this time Memmai had had enough.

"Your father said enough, now get over yourself. If you want to rule so badly go find a mate and find some other lands because you're not going to rule these ones." Sumayah turned her glare toward Memmai and growled. Sharra stood not far behind Memmai and had to keep from laughing, waiting for the explosion that was sure to come.

"How dare you, you're not even a princess, just some whelp by a lioness who got raped. You don't even deserve to be queen."

Katu stepped forward now, a low growl emitting from deep in his throat. "Sumayah, either shut up and suck it up, or leave, because I will not put up with that in _my_ kingdom…" Sumayah looked at her brother in complete shock. She sighed and then turned and walked away, defeated.

Memmai turned toward Sharra and sighed, leaning against her friend. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?" She said.

Sharra shook her head. She glanced toward the entrance of the den. "No," she said, "No, it won't be."

--

A month passed, Sharra was beginning to get really homesick. She spent long hours under the shade of a tree, staring toward her lands. She missed them and her pride so much. There were little decisions for Memmai to make, yet she refused to give Sharra up yet. The young lioness was beginning to wonder if she hadn't have said she'd stay for a few moons. Perhaps it would do some good for Mai to be on her own as a queen.

It didn't seem too hard, so what exactly was the big deal? The hardest part was dealing with Sumayah, who, as expected, would not lay quietly and not try to make life harder for Memmai. If Katu caught her she was corrected, but more often than not, Katu didn't catch her, for mostly she was smarter than that.

Sharra sighed, hoping that she would be able to go home soon. Though Memmai had made it clear that Sharra was to be treated with utmost respect, old habits died hard. Sharra refused to sleep in the den and often times would sleep out underneath a tree, not quite even wanting to be on pride rock. Sumayah, as well as pestering Memmai, was also interested in annoying Sharra at every chance she got. Mostly Sharra ignored her, but there were times when avoiding her was impossible.

"What kind of a queen needs an albino nothing by her side anyway?" Sumayah said to Misha rather loudly one day when Sharra was sunning herself by the watering hole. "I mean really, if she can't handle something so simple she shouldn't be queen anyway." The princess continued, glancing Sharra's way every so often to see if the other lioness was listening.

Sharra sighed and lifted her head. "Having a best friend by your side is better than a whiny princess who only wants the throne so she can call herself queen," she retorted, lifting herself and walking away. Sumayah growled after her, but stayed by the watering hole.

The white lioness was slightly annoyed, for she hadn't wanted to leave the watering hole, but staying would mean more comments from Sumayah. Instead she reluctantly walked up the steps of Pride rock and went into the den, knowing Memmai was there in the shade.

Her friend smiled at her arrival and gestured toward a space beside her. "I was hoping I'd see you," she said. Sharra nodded.

"Sumayah was being too noisy by the watering hole," sharra replied. Memmai laughed.

"Yes, she is getting to be a bit of a nuisance, isn't she?"

"That's putting it lightly," Sharra growled.

Memmai sighed and looked outside. "Oh Sharra, I don't know quite what to do about her, I'm so sick and tired of it, but I feel stuck." Sharra turned toward her friend.

"Exile her," she stated simply.

Memmai laughed, giggling for a few minutes before she could answer. "Oh yeah, because that's an option…" she sighed, "sometimes I wish, but that doesn't seem fair either. I just wish she'd leave me alone, and you too."

Sharra began to bathe her paw and nodded in response. "She won't though, you should know that by now. They way she sees things, if she bothers you enough, you'll say that you don't want to be queen anymore and give up the throne to her."

"Oh I would never do that!" Memmai replied. Sharra laughed.

"I know, but that's how her mind works, you've got to lay down the law, or at least get Katu to, otherwise she'll never quit. The worst part is, her mother is on her side and as long as her mother is here, you're going to have problems."

Just then Katu walked up, nuzzling Memmai. "How're you two doing today?" He asked. Memmai smiled.

"We were just discussing that sister of yours." Memmai replied.

Katu nodded, "I see."

"Katu we've got to do something about her, she's making life absolutely miserable!" Memmai near whined.

"I've tried, I don't know what else to do."

"_So, what happened then? How come even Katu didn't know what to do?" Tiburi, as if on cue, asked. _

_"Well, Sumayah wasn't about to give up trying for de throne. She wanted it bad, and was just about willing to do anyting to get it." Ashka explained._

_"Like what?" Tiburi asked. _

_"Well, let's just say Sumayah got desperate enough, she actually thought about repeating the past…"_

A/N: And I'm going to leave you all with that cliffy, because I think this chapter is long enough and I'm hungry….Thank you for your newest reviews and those who added this story to their alert list, I hope you'll all stay with me still. And I have a question to ask, do you all want me to keep going in this 'book' or should I start a new one, like have a Part 2 or something? I have a few ideas to keep it going for a few more chapters at least, not sure how many offhand, but probly at least 2-3 more chapters, maybe more. Let me know, thank you!


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Hey all, I'm sorry about the whole repeat the first line thing…not entirely sure why that's happening…so if it happens ag

A/N: Hey all, I'm sorry about the whole repeat the first line thing…not entirely sure why that's happening…so if it happens again, sorry…or if anyone knows how to fix it, let me know. Thanks!

Chapter 23

_All the cubs ears perked forward, their curiosities brimming to the boiling point. _

_"What do you mean?" Tiburi finally blurted, unable to contain himself. _

_Ashka laughed, running a hand over Tiburi's forehead and ruffling the tuft of hair there. "I mean, Tiburi, dat Sumayah was desperate. She wanted de throne badly and was just about willing to do anyting to get it…"_

Sumayah paced the floor, growling to herself. Misha just watched, waiting. "She doesn't deserve to be queen. And who does she think she is, inviting that white rat back here and telling all of us to 'be nice' to her?"

"She's the queen, Sumayah," Misha reminded her friend. She was getting somewhat tired of Sumayah's rants; to the point where she could hardly wait to go with Natari when he left to find his own pride.

"_She's the queen, Sumayah!_" Sumayah shot back. "She shouldn't be! I'm the rightful queen. She isn't even doing that good of a job…" Sumayah stopped for a moment and thought. A sly smile crossed her face and she turned. "I know what I'll do," she said.

Misha looked up, not quite caring. "I'm going to get rid of them, both her and that stupid albino."

"Sumayah, what're you talking about, how are you going to '_get rid' _of them?" Misha asked, shaking her head.

"I don't know, but I'm going to do it, then I can be queen and everything will be the way it should be," She proudly proclaimed.

By this time, Misha had had enough. "Sumayah seriously, give it up. The only reason you even want to be queen is so you can have the title of it. As soon as there's any work involved, you won't like it anymore. Memmai deserves to be queen just as much as you, she and Katu are married now, that's her rightful place as his mate."

The princess turned toward her friend, a low growl emitting from her throat. "How dare you! How dare you take the side of the albino rat!" With that, Sumayah lunged, claws out and teeth bared she attacked her friend.

Misha was taken by surprise and fought back, yelping and screaming and roaring trying to get away from Sumayah's rage. Finally she freed herself and ran from the den, scared of her friend and wanting more than ever to just get away.

Sumayah watched Misha leave, her head held high. She was going to get rid of Sharra and Memmai once and for all, with or without Misha's help. She didn't need her anyway. She wasn't like Memmai, who needed a friend beside her, she had her mother, and that was all she needed. Or so it was as far as Sumayah was concerned.

--

Sharra was staring off toward her lands when she saw Misha running frantically toward the watering hole. She was limping slightly and when she reached the water hole she held her foot up and then sat, cleaning it before collapsing halfway in the water.

The white lioness's ears tipped back. Something was not right; she could feel it in her gut and was almost sure she could feel it in the air as well. Standing from her shady spot in the den, Sharra decided to go find Memmai and Katu, to see if they had any ideas.

Memmai and Katu had not noticed Misha's mad dash, so they were unaware of anything out of the ordinary. "I'm sure you're just sensing a storm in the air or something," Katu assured her. Sharra was not convinced, however. "Maybe Misha cut her foot or something."

Sharra nodded. She still wasn't entirely sure, but she decided to hope that was all that had happened. The lioness wasn't sure she could handle anything else.

-

As night fell in the savannah, the pride made their way back to the den. Katu had decided to talk with Sumayah about her behavior toward Memmai and Sharra that night, not wanting to put it off any longer. As his sister made her way up the steps, he calmly said, "Sumayah," she looked up, and seeing him gesture her toward the tip, followed.

"You need to leave Memmai and Sharra alone. I'm sorry that I found a mate before you and that you're upset over Memmai deciding to become queen, there's nothing I can do about that. I need you to respect her and I though, otherwise I will not allow you to stay here, and as your brother Sumayah, I do not want to have to banish you." Katu said, looking at his sister.

Sumayah sighed, looking down at her paws. "Oh Katu," she sighed, leaning against him. "I know you're right," she tried sobbing. "I have been so mean to your queen, and for no reason other than that I was extremely jealous. I don't want to be banished, I really don't…help me make amends?" she asked, eyeing her brother. This, of course, was all an act. She had already made up her mind to get rid of Sharra and Memmai, but first, she had to make it look like she was making amends in order to even get close enough to them to try.

Katu looked taken aback. He looked down at her with some suspicion. "I'll try Sumayah, but promise me you'll stop disrespecting them every time I turn around?" Sumayah nodded.

Satisfied, Katu nuzzled his sister before turning to go back inside the den.

"I'll stop disrespecting them…" Sumayah murmured to herself. "As soon as their dead…then I'll give them the proper respect," she laughed to herself before standing and following her brother inside.

"_What was she going to do?" Tiburi asked, stepping forward. Ashka shook his head._

_"She was goin' to get herself in a lot of trouble, det's what. Now, I believe it's about lunch time for you cubs, and I tink I can hear a lioness coming for you. Why don't we all get up and stretch a few minutes, we'll all eat lunch, and den I'll continue, hmm?"_

A/N: I know this is super short compares to what I've been posting earlier, but I ran out of ideas. Anyone have any ideas for what Sumayah could try to do to get rid of Memmai and Sharra? (of course she won't actually get rid of them, but she's going to try) Enjoy and I'll try to get another chapter up soon. )


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: I AM LEAVING ON SUNDAY

Chapter 24

A week went by and Sharra began to notice Sumayah acting radically different. No longer did she seem to try to antagonize Sharra and Memmai, but rather, tried to almost act buddy-buddy with them. While Memmai seemed to be falling for it, Sharra was not. She wanted to know what plot Sumayah had, and what purpose her acting that way had. It also seemed odd, because Misha had avoided Sumayah since the day that Sharra had seen her run toward to the water hole.

The injured lioness had spent more time with Natari, almost pressuring him to leave all the sooner. What worried Sharra was that Sumayah seemed unfazed by the fact that her best friend was trying to leave as fast as possible, or that Misha was trying to leave as fast as she was. It made little to no sense to the white lioness.

And it only increased her worry. Though no one else seemed able to feel it, Sharra felt the tension in the air. It made her muscles ache and her uneasiness rise constantly. The tension was thick enough it almost made Sharra feel as though she would choke on it. The longer this little escapade went on, the more Sharra wanted out.

Memmai, of course, was more than overjoyed that Sumayah was trying to be friends, and she thought it was for real. Why wouldn't she? Sumayah had never really shown her true nature to Mai, what did the queen have to fear? She had not grown up with Sumayah as Sharra had. So she felt no obligation to worry about the princess's behavior.

Sharra, of course, would have none of it. If Sumayah came over and tried to be buddies, Sharra would leave, not caring what Memmai thought. She would never be friends with the princess, there was just no way that would happen. Plus, she knew something was up, and she wanted to leave.

--

On the day that Misha and Natari were to leave, Sharra watched Sumayah with an eagle's eye, wanting to see just what she did. Memmai gave Natari a friendly nuzzle of goodbye and rubbed her head beneath Misha's chin. "Goodbye, and good luck to you," she said, smiling. Katu held his head up, nodding a goodbye to Natari at first, before giving in to cubhood longing and he pummeled his friend. He laughed and then stood up, bumping heads with the other lion.

"I'll miss you buddy, but take good care of Mish, and good luck finding your own kingdom," he smiled.

Natari nodded. "I will, thanks Katu," he replied.

Now it was Sumayah's turn. Sharra turned her head, watching. The princess stood, stretched somewhat and then walked over to Misha. Though she tried to hide it, Sharra caught the bristling of fur Misha made when her old friend brushed against her. "Misha, do you have to go?" Sumayah pretended to whine. Sharra also saw the curling of the princess's lip when she spoke the words.

Misha's shoulders tensed up and she took a step back toward Natari. "Yes, actually, we need to go…now." She said, turning away and brushing against Natari as a signal to get moving. "Goodbye everyone!" She called, "We'll miss you!"

And with that, the couple left.

Sharra snorted, wrinkling her nose up. Something had happened between the two, that much was evident, and whatever it was had to do with Sharra and Memmai and why Sumayah was suddenly wanting to be friends with them.

The lioness shook her head. She'd had enough. Memmai was doing fine as queen now, and it was time for her to return home. Standing, Sharra left their gathering and began to walk away. She was going to go visit Ashka tonight and tomorrow, she would go and tell Memmai that she would be leaving within a few days…

"_What's going on Ashka?" Tiburi asked. "I don't understand. Sumayah's trying to be friends with them, why would she do that if she wanted to get rid of them?"_

_The old baboon laughed. "Oh little Tiburi, Sharra and Memmai were leery of her, so in order to get close to dem, she had to try to make friends wid dem, right?"_

"_Oh," Tiburi said, lowering his head._

"Tell me your troubles," Ashka said the minute Sharra was in his tree. He had his back turned toward her, once again making some changes to a painting in his tree.

"Sumayah's up to something," Sharra said, turning to look back toward the savannah.

Ashka nodded. "Yes, I am aware of dat," he replied.

"What do you think it is?" Sharra asked.

The baboon shrugged. "Dat I do not know, but I tink it would be wise for you to leave."

Sharra nodded. "I'm leaving within a few days, not tomorrow, but perhaps the next day."

Ashka shook his head. "Yes, it has been long enough." The baboon nodded.

"Ashka, I'm worried, what if Memmai is in danger?" Sharra asked, pleading as she sat a few feet from the baboon.

Ashka turned, facing the lioness in front of him who had tears in the corners of her eyes. "Child, Memmai is not in danger, and neider are you, you have a whole pride wid you and Katu will not let anyting happen to you. You know dat."

A tear slipped by and Sharra just shook her head.

"Neverdeless, I will escort you and Memmai when you leave," he said, his tone saying it wasn't a question.

--

Before the sun was fully up the next day Sharra was awake and climbing over lionesses to get to Memmai. When she reached her, she nudged her. "Mai," she whispered. "Mai, wake up, I need to talk to you." The lioness moaned as Sharra continued to nudge her.

Katu rolled over and purposely gave his mate a hard nudge, waking her up. Mai lifted her head and looked around, her eyes focusing on Sharra. "Sharra," she said, yawning. "It's so early, what's wrong?"

"It's time I go home Memmai."

By now the queen was wide awake and she moved so she was in a sitting position. "What?" She asked.

"It's been a few moons, and it's time I went back to my own pride. I've already made up my mind. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

Memmai sighed and stood, motioning for them to go outside. She nuzzled Katu and whispered something in his ear and then led the way.

In a corner only a few feet away lay Sumayah, eyes closed but ears listening to every word exchanged between the two. As soon as they're footsteps faded into the distance, Sumayah opened her eyes and watched them leave. _So the white rat is leaving tomorrow huh? Or so she thinks. Well, Memmai won't let her leave alone, what a perfect opportunity they just unknowingly presented me with…._she laughed to herself as she stretched and then stood. Slowly, the princess made her way out the back of the den and then climbed up to the top of Pride Rock, where she stood and overlooked the kingdom that would be hers soon enough.

From there, she could see Sharra and Memmai at the bottom of the stairs, talking. After a while they went off, heading toward the hunting grounds. Sumayah wrinkled her nose. What a way to spend your last day together…hunting. She shook her head. It didn't matter, they would both be dead tomorrow, and no longer a nuisance to her. She looked around the savannah, picking out the route the two would most likely use and trying to come up with some way to make her plan work.

Or at least come up with a plan, she supposed that would have to come first…she'd have to actually come up with a plan for one to work…

As she sat up there, she thought of the tales of the shadowlands, the time when the Pridelands were ruled by Scar and everything was horrible. She'd heard rumors here or there that the pride thought that time would repeat itself if she were to rule. Sumayah was positive that would not happen, for she would not have hyenas. Disgusting creatures not fit to associate with was her opinion of them. Besides, she didn't see Scar as the horrible lion that everyone else saw him as. He knew what he wanted, and he did what he had to to obtain it, just because he'd ruined his kinghood didn't mean she would ruin her Queenhood when she got it.

In thinking about it, she knew a stampede would never work for her plan, mostly because Sharra and Memmai were not cubs and because they were not going anywhere near the gorge, which for a stamped was the best place because there was no way to get out but run forward. Sumayah shook her head. No, she unfortunately had to come up with something more clever.

But what? Surely this couldn't be that hard. Her eyes roved over the pridelands, taking in all the sights the different spots. Finally her eyes rested on the watering hole and the idea slowly formed itself in her head. A small, sly smile spread across her features as the idea firmly planted itself in her mind. Yes, that would work perfectly…she thought. She lifted her hindquarters to stand and then made her way back down…

"_What was she gonna do Ashka?" Tiburi asked, standing up and leaning forward. _

"_Someting dat was gonna backfire horribly," Ashka said, shaking his head in memory._

"_Backfire?" Tiburi questioned. _

_The baboon sighed. "Meaning not go as planned, let me explain…"_

A/N: Sorry I took so long guys…I couldn't figure out what I wanted Sumayah to do to get rid of the two. Also, I'm in Tennessee with my parents now and don't' have as much time as I thought I did…sorry again. The next chapter is gonna be uploaded right after this one so that you guys get 2 chapters for the long wait.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Nighttime dawned dark and cool. The wind was blowing slightly and it felt wonderful pushing against Sharra's skin. She wandered through the grasses, letting the wind blow past her. She looked up at the sky and the bountiful stars and sighed. She was going home. She sat and took in a deep breath, her eyes traveling toward the distant pride rock. Memmai had done well for herself, she concluded. Then again, so had she. Sharra had done something she had never thought possible, she had helped form a pride, and one that accepted and respected her. Her ears lifted in that thought.

Yes, she thought. She had a pride, a home, essentially, a family. Everything she had wanted but had thought impossible. She stood and a smile emcompassed her entire face as she began running. She would wait until tomorrow, but her impatience was there. Every fiber of her being wanted to be with her pride, yes…_her_ pride, she thought with a grin.

--

The morning carried with it the same tension that had been there for weeks. The air was already thick with the promise of a heatwave as well. Sumayah stood at the edge of Pride rock, waiting, her muscles tense, a smile of triumph on her maw. Today was her day. By the end of today, if not tomorrow, she was stand here, on this rock and roar to her subjects, and she would be queen. Laughing to herself, she turned and made her way back inside the den, the sun would rise in a few minutes, and Sharra and Memmai would be making their way to Sharra's lands. Then her plan would be set in motion and nothing, nothing would stand in her way anymore…

--

Sharra awoke with the sun, her ears pitching forward as she looked at the sleeping lions and lionesses around her. She stood and stretched, yawning before moving over to wake Memmai. When the Queen was awake enough, Sharra made her way toward the entrance, where Ashka was waiting. Sharra had said her goodbyes yesterday, so there was no need to wake anyone else up. Memmai joined her and the baboon and slowly the three descended.

Sumayah growled to herself. She didn't realize the baboon was going with them. That was gonna ruin everything. Hastily, she looked around, trying to figure out some diversion she could find. A sleeping cub stretched, catching Sumayah's eye. She smiled and then padded over and picked the young one up. Moving as fast as she could, yet as quiet, she made her way over to the end of the den and slipped out the back. Then she circled and hid the cub beneath some brush. She made sure it was safe before taking off toward the watering hole, hoping her feet would move fast enough that she could catch them.

She rounded the corner and bounded up onto the rock and then down the steps, willing her legs to move faster. She could see them, almost to the watering hole, so she began shouting for Ashka. "Ashka!! Ashka wait!!" The cub she'd stolen had only been born last night, she knew, for he hadn't been there for long. He was still wet and the mother had been gone that night. She must've snuck back in when everyone was asleep. "Ashka!" Sumayah yelled again, her plan remaking itself in her head.

She slowed as she reached the trio, who had stopped to wait for her, right before the watering hole. "Ashka," she breathed, sucking in rapid gasps of air. She wasn't quite as in shape as she'd thought. She took in a few deep breaths and then spit out what she'd formed to say in her head. "Tuli needs you, she's went into labor and is having a rough time. No one else was awake and I knew you'd be the best one to help her." She said rapidly, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

The baboon sighed and looked at Sharra and Memmai. "We'll wait here for you," Memmai said. Aska nodded and then left. Thankfully he didn't need to be shown the way, so Sumayah was free to stay with the two lionesses.

"Why not wait by the watering hole? It's cooler there and we can get a drink," Memmai said. Sharra nodded and then followed her. Sumayah waited until they were at the front of the watering hole drinking before she moved around to the other side. She let her tail drag in the water for a minute before giving it a flick that sent a few droplets of water flying before lifting it and then continuing around.

Within seconds her plan was in motion. She smiled at the screech that was let out by Memmai when a large crocodile snapped its jaws just inches from her feet. Both lionesses swung around and began batting and roaring at the croc, not aware that another one would come up behind them in just moments. Sumayah watched, standing behind a bolder so she was not in sight. The other crocodile would be behind them soon and within minutes they would drag Memmai and Sharra to the depths of the watering hole, drowning them before they devoured the two.

She looked around, where was the other crocodile? She turned just in time to see the crocodile latch onto her entire back leg and the princess let out a scream. She dug her claws into the ground as the massive croc began dragging her toward the water. "No!!" she yelled. "Not me you idiot!!" She yelled. "Not me!"

The other croc, seeing her being dragged, left the lionesses and plunged into the water. Before Sharra or Memmai realized it, Sumayah was in the water, splashing and gasping for air, all the while yelling, "Not me!! It's them you're supposed to kill, you idiot, not me!" Within seconds she disappeared beneath the surface of the water and all they saw was the whirling and ripples caused by her struggles.

The two friends looked at each other before delving into the water. Both swam around, taking turns dipping under. After a few minutes they left to the safety of the shore and waited. There was nothing they could do. Another minute passed and then a few ripples appeared in the middle of the water before Sumayah drifted to the surface. To her own amazement, it was Sharra who went back into the water to retrieve the princess.

Gently she grabbed her and dragged her back out. She leaned down and listened for a heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there. She pushed down on the princess's chest, waiting. A moment or so after Sumayah spit up a bit of water, but not near enough. She was shaking now and there was blood covering her body. Memmai looked from her to Sharra. "Oh my god Sharra, what are we going to do?" She asked, starting to shake herself.

Sharra couldn't believe she was actually trying to save Sumayah's life, especially after it was clear that Sumayah had tried to take hers. She looked down at the princess and shook her head. "Not me," she breathed. Her body began convulsing, her paw twitching.

Memmai let out a low roar calling her pride to her. As Sumayah's convulsing died down, she just twitched, shaking as well. The pride arrived and Katu looked from his sister to Memmai and then to Sharra, his eyes begging the question be answered. Memmai just leaned against him, sobbing.

Since Sharra wasn't sure of Sumayah's plot, she simply said what she knew. "We were waiting for Ashka to return when we were attacked, the crocodiles took Sumayah under," Katu nodded and then turned his attention to his sister.

"Sumayah," Katu said. "Sumayah it's me, Katu, can you hear me?" Sumayah mumbled something, but otherwise continued twitching. "Sumayah. Come on Mayah, it's me, say something."

"Queen," Sumayah murmured, her voice barely a whisper as her breathing became raspier. "I…was goin'…to..be…queen." she said between breaths. One last convulsion took her before she went still. The king stood still then lowered his head and let out a long sigh. He let out a long, low moaning roar to mourn the death of his sister, and soon after the pride followed. When they were finished, father and brother gathered the body and together with the pride, carried her back to the place of her birth.

Sharra watched then leave, unable to make herself rise to follow. Sumayah was not of her pride, and as such, she would not concern herself with the funeral nor with the grieving. That was for her family and her pride to do. Instead, she sat, watching and waiting. She wondered what would be the right thing to do. Should she leave now or wait? The tension that she had felt for weeks was gone, and the air was silent, leaving Sharra feeling even less sure of the situation.

"I didn't want her killed," the raspy voice behind her made Sharra's entire skin jump and stand on end. Her mind jumped, but her body merely moved forward in alarm. She made herself turn and found herself facing one of the crocodiles. "Sorry to scare ya," the croc said, nodding. Sharra shook her head, but found herself speechless. She hadn't known crocodiles could talk, though it shouldn't have surprised her.

"I didn't want her killed," the crocodile repeated. "I just wanted her to know she was doing wrong. My mate you see," the croc paused, looking down and it was then Sharra realized the reptile must be female, though the voice was so raspy and deep it seemed unnatural. Then again, perhaps crocodiles had their own form of talking, she'd never made it her business to know. "My mate, when he saw me take her und'r, he dove in after me. I couldn't stop him at first and by the time I could, I was sure it was too late, so I kept him down til I saw her body disappear. He said she'd promised meat and he didn't care where it came from…she'd asked us to kill you and the queen you see. Said we could have your meat if we killed you. But I couldn't do it..not the queen. We'd be killed for sure if they ever found out." The croc shook her head. "Couldn't have that, so I took her, wanting to make her see she was wrong…I never meant for her to die..no…didn't want her to die.." Slowly as the crocodile repeated herself, she descended back into the water, still shaking her head.

Sharra watched, dumbfounded by the creature. She shook her head and sighed. So it was true, Sumayah had had a plot against Memmai…but not only Mai, but her as well…Sharra realized. She took a deep breath and then made herself rise. No matter how grim it was, she knew the pride deserved to know the truth and why Sumayah's last words had been "I was goin' to be queen…"

A/N: Next chapter will be up soon!


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

It was nighttime again, and Sharra found herself sitting at the edge of pride rock, staring at the star-strewn sky. The midnight blue hues blended and meshed to forma beautiful sight, the stars only added the art of it. A small smile formed on Sharra's mouth as she let out a sigh. It seemed like it had been a long time ago since that morning when the whole ordeal had happened.

The day had progressed quickly though, if Sharra was perfectly honest with herself. Everything had seemed to happen so fast it left little time for thinking about things, until now. Though the crocodile had only given her enough information to know the truth, Sharra had filled in the holes. Obviously the female was supposed to aid in the killing of her and Memmai. However, it didn't entirely make sense to Sharra that the crocodile refused to kill the queen, but years ago had had no qualms about killing the prince and princess. Were cubs different? Were heirs to the throne less valuable or less meaningful than the actual throne-holders? This, Sharra pondered for a little while.

Then she thought of the pride's reaction when she'd told them the crocodile's story. Former Queen Tianna had said it was preposterous and was enraged that Sharra even suggest such a thing. It wasn't until Tuli and Ashka spoke up that the pride realized the truth. Tuli's cub of course was found and when Ashka told the pride of Sumayah's mad dash to get him to come to the aid of Tuli, everyone knew. Whether they wanted to believe it or not, they knew. After that Sharra hadn't stayed, but had fled to wander the pridelands.

It was only when night fell that she found herself back at pride rock. After the burial, after the deep grieving, then she returned, just as everyone was settling in for the night. Now here she was, wondering what she should do now. Would it be wise to just leave? To go home now, while everyone was thinking of their recently lost princess? No, perhaps that would not be fair to Memmai, even though Sharra was definitely awake enough to make the trip.

She sighed, deciding to sleep there for the night, and leave first thing in the morning. With Sumayah gone, she would be free to go home on her own. In fact, she almost preferred it that way.

"_Hey Ashka," Tiburi started, making the baboon have the urge to start laughing hysterically because he'd been waiting for the cub to ask him something. It was only a matter of time._

"_Yes, Tiburi?" _

"_You never told us who the cub was. You know, the one that Sumayah hid to make her plan of detouring you for real. Well…sorta anyway." The cub finished, cocking his head this way and that as he thought. _

_At this, the baboon did laugh. "Oh, dat cub…yes he is an interesting one. Perhaps being in dat brush made him too curious for his own good. Too long away from his moder no doubt." The baboon was still chuckling. "Care to take a guess, Tiburi?"_

_Tiburi laughed a little, "Kinda sounds like me," he said._

"_No," Ashka said, shaking his head. "Just because he's too curious for his own good?" He laughed. "Well, in fact, dat cub was you, Tiburi…Now, back to de story."_

Sleep would not come easily to Sharra, and after a few hours of failed attempts, she knew it was no use. Stretching, she rose to her feet and looked up at the sky, smiling. It was still dark, and would be for most of the whole of her trip. She trotted back to the opening of the den, easily finding her sleeping friend near the entrance. She licked her friend and then nudged her head. This time, Memmai awoke a little easier. She lifted her head, slowly opening her eyes and letting them adjust before focusing on Sharra.

No words were exchanged, instead Mai stood and rubbed her head beneath Sharra's chin. The two bumped heads and nuzzled each other for a few moments before nodding their goodbyes. Memmai sat, watching her friend leave, wishing with all her heart she could change the white lioness's mind, but knowing she wouldn't, for though Sharra still hadn't admitted it to herself, even Memmai knew she was in love with Kieji. For this reason, she was silent as she watched Sharra start down the steps and then bound off with a determination only a lioness in love would possess.

--

By the time Sharra reached her lands, the sun was just beginning to rise. The horizon was painted with deep shades of pink and blue and purple, and Sharra knew that within an hour or so the shades of blue and purple would fade into pinks and oranges as the sun rose higher into the sky.

As she reached the border, she slowed her mad dash to a stop, taking in deep breaths of air, attempting to catch her breath. After she had calmed and her muscles stopped throbbing, her heart slowed, she took in a deep breath to steady herself. Then she stepped across the border and knew she was home. It was a feeling that washed through her with such intensity, she almost felt the need to stop. Almost, but her feet had other ideas, and within seconds she was running again.

Upon reaching the den, she knew the one she most wanted to see wasn't there. She didn't even bother climbing up onto the rock, but rather sniffed the air and took off in another direction, following the scent of him. Her heart was racing again, but she didn't care, he was the only one she wanted to see. Though she loved her pridemembers, it was Kieji she wanted to see first.

It was by their watering hole that she found him, sitting there, watching the sunrise. An ear flicked backward before he turned his head. When he saw her, he stood and turned his body completely around. Sharra felt her legs go weak, she'd forgotten, even in the short time she'd been away, how handsome he was. She had forgotten how curly his mane was, or how astonishingly green his eyes were. It made her want to cry out, instead she found herself beside him within seconds, rubbing her body against his as her head rubbed beneath his chin.

At first, he bristled, not exactly expecting her so close, then slowly he lowered his head onto hers and words he didn't mean to say rushed from his lips, "I've missed you."

A tear slid down Sharra's cheek. "I've missed you too," she murmured. Oh how she'd missed him, she thought. Another tear slid down her cheek and she pulled away to look at him. "I'm so sorry," she said.

Kieji rubbed his cheek against hers. "For what?" He asked.

"For ignoring you, for asking to be a part of your pride and then acting like a loner and not acting like a part of it," She shook her head. "I wanted a pride. I wanted a family, and when all of the sudden, after so long…I had one. I didn't know what to do," the words that had been welled up for so long rushed out and Sharra found she couldn't stop, not that she wanted to.

"I was so scared, I didn't want to get too close. I was afraid I'd be hurt again, afraid of being hurt because I'd let myself believe it was true." Another tear traveled down her cheek. "I was afraid of you," at this Kieji looked at her and she turned her head away, unable to look at him.

"Afraid that if I accepted what I…" she stopped, unsure of saying the rest.

"If you accepted?" Kieji urged.

"If I accepted what I felt for you, acknowledged it, that I'd lose it. That I'd lose you and only be hurt again like I was before," At this, Sharra collapsed at Kieji's feet, the tears flowing freely as she cried into her paws.

Kieji lowered himself to the ground as well, using a paw to lift her chin so she would look at him. "Hey," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'm not going to hurt you, and I'm going to make sure you're never hurt like you were before again." He paused, taking a moment to give her a long, hard look in the eyes. "I didn't chase Mako off for nothing. I wanted you Sharra, since the day you bawled your eyes and problems to me, I've wanted you. When that sniveling sack of dirt came pining for you, I knew I had to show you how I felt. So I made sure he knew he was never to return," He rubbed his head against Sharra's. "I suppose we've both been running from each other. I let you ignore me and walk alone because I wasn't sure you'd even want to be with me. You ran because you didn't want to be hurt again."

Sharra looked up and offered a small smile and a nod of agreement.

"We both know we're meant to be together Sharra, it's time we stop running."

The white lioness looked up again, and then pushed her head beneath his chin. Kieji leaned his head to the side, his cheek rubbing against Sharra's head. The tuft of hair Sharra still had mingled with his curls as the two moved closer to each other. Kieji licked Sharra's cheek and smiled.

When Sharra looked into his eyes, a smile formed on her mouth and the feeling that filled her was indescribable. Now, truly she was home. She was in a place where no one would ever tell her she had to sleep outside. No one would scorn her for simply being born. No lion, or lioness, would ever call her a white rat or say she was a mistake. She would be respected, accepted and best of all, loved for who she was and because she was herself.

"_Dat in itself was more den anyting she could ever have asked for. Sharra was home." Ashka finished the story with a wave of his hand that gestured toward Sharra's lands. _

_All the cubs turned to look toward there and then back at Ashka._

_"That's it?" Tiburi, ever the questioner, asked._

"_Yes Tiburi, dat's it. Dat is de story of Sharra de white lioness."_

"_Tell us another story Ashka!" One of the cubs perked up. _

_The baboon laughed. "Anoder time perhaps, hasn't dis one taken long enough?"_

A/N: I think I'll end it there, although if I get enough ambition, I might continue Sharra's story some other time. For now, I think I'll let your imaginations give you the rest of the story. I hope you enjoyed Sharra's story, even if it took forever to finish. Til next time, enjoy!


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